Diamond Head crater concert set for 2006
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
The first concert inside Diamond Head crater in more than 25 years has been approved by the state, clearing the way for the Hawai'i International Music Festival and Conference to be held two years from now.
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"The controversy is now behind us," said Ron Gibson, the event's executive producer. "With the green light, we now can line up our international partners; the festival will be held in 2006, in collaboration with international stars but involving Hawaiian music stars," he said.
Crater festivals — such as this one in December 1975 — inside Diamond Head faded from the Island scene more than two decades ago. But there's at least one more concert in the crater's future.
Despite unanimous support Friday from the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees Diamond Head crater, residents who favor returning the crater to its natural state fear the concert will fling the doors wide open to other such events in the extinct volcano, said Sid Snyder, Diamond Head Citizen Advisory Committee acting chairman.
The committee has worked for years on a master plan that calls for an interpretive visitor center and the establishment of more trail systems.
"It sets a precedent and doesn't fit into the master plan," Snyder said. "We feel the state should go ahead with the master plan, the interpretive center and trail system, but it requires funding."
Gibson, who attended several neighborhood board meetings and met with the Diamond Head Citizen Advisory Committee, said he will continue to work with the community to overcome objections. Gibson has pledged the formation of a foundation using $50,000 in proceeds from the first concert to help implement the master plan for Diamond Head.
The Hawai'i International Music Festival and Conference is negotiating with several places for parking and shuttle bus pickup. Those locations are: the Blaisdell Arena, Waikiki Shell, Hawai'i Convention Center, Kalani High School, Kaimuki High School.
Earlier, residents and members of the committee argued that using the crater would cause traffic congestion, noise and trash. But the organizer promises to require off-site parking with shuttle buses, and limit entrance to the crater to 7,500 people. Walk-ins will not be allowed, nor will tickets be sold on the day of the event, Gibson has said.
Parking plans
Peter Young, Department of Land and Natural Resources chairman, said the residents' concerns have been met and that the event does meet the mandate of the master plan. If other events are proposed, they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, Young said.
"There is no reason that the land board will automatically issue future permits," Young said.
Gibson envisions a music conference similar to the Cannes Film Festival, but for music lovers, featuring live music and stars from Hawai'i, the Mainland, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The concert in Diamond Head crater, while the centerpiece attraction, is just one aspect of the weeklong event, Gibson said. But it does make for a big selling point. The plan calls for also using the convention center, the Waikiki Shell and the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.
"We want to have the primary event inside Diamond Head crater," Gibson said, "but also have seminars where we bring in talent buyers so that we can expose our young talents with these international buyers."
Wayne Harada contributed to this report. Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
Correction: The Maui Arts and Cultural Center is one of the sites for the planned Hawai'i International Music Festival and Conference two years from now. The name of the center was incorrect in a previous version of this story.
