Posted 4:43 PM by Alfred

The date was February 9, 1997. A Sunday. My heart was fresh from the recent spark of true love, keeping me warm on the cool yet humid nights. It was the rainiest season on Oahu in almost a decade, my first winter on the island. I was lounging with my roommates, sparking, getting ready for the Soundgarden show. Chilling out on the lanai, taking in the breeze and the greenery, drinking beers, enjoying the company of food, folks, and fun. Once everyone had the appropriate buzz on and the time was ripe for world domination, we disembarked from the Kailua condo and headed into town, ready to rock out with one of Seattle's less grungy grunge bands.

The drive was just another cruise over the Pali Highway, tropical rain forest all around, intermittent water falls from the afternoon rains cascading down the rocky moss encrusted mountainsides could be heard but not seen in the dark valley. The smell of rain still on the wind, the little nelly in the belly excitement that comes with great expectations of a night of big time live music. The hum of the engine, the bristling of tires on blacktop, the lights of Honolulu as we rolled down the final hill through Nuuanu, Punchbowl on the left, so many dead soldiers, so many ghosts, so many stars.

Blaisdell Arena, Ward Avenue, cars, lights, people, electricity. Tailgaters tanking beers and talking story in the five story parking structure. Ingesting the last of the intoxicants before entering the jungle and paying for $6.00 bud lites. An old Chinese man took my ticket and tore neatly along the perforation. He gave me a smile as if to say, it's just another day kid, but you might as well enjoy it. Section GA, Row 34, Seat 32, presented by GoldenVoice.

The band was late but the crowd was mellow. If there was an opening band, I don't remember. When Sound Garden came on, the crowd went nuts. They tore into Blackhole Sun and kept it bumping. About a half hour later, we noticed that the sound was getting a little sloppy. In the middle of a song, the bass player stopped playing and just looked at his band mates, who looked back at him and kept playing. The bass player then proceeded to pull his instrument over his shoulders, throw the bass guitar to the ground and storm off stage.

The remainders of the band trooped on for a few more songs, but it didn't quite sound the same. I think a roadie came out and took over on bass. The music degenerated into a high school garage band jamming through their necessary practice time so they can rush it to Pizza hut before the salad bar closes. The show ended abruptly about ten minutes later.

And that was the last Soundgarden concert ever. It was the last stop on their tour, and they broke up a couple months later. As for me, I get paid to slang not to chat, so I'm outtie.

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