MustSee Travelogue
Music: The Heartbeat of my City
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Dokutsu is an underground space with an audience capacity of just 2000 provides the opportunity for audience members to get up close and personal with great bands at one of the best live music venues in Hilo. Performances at Dokutsu generally fall into the rock, pop or metal categories and are by a mix of local and national artists. The venue also hosts exclusive engagements from jumpship concert tours. While some shows are seated, many times the audience is standing room only. Ticket prices and availability vary greatly depending on the show.
Zepp Music Halls are in every city on the planet. These Live Houses play host to many concert tours and are a popular stop among musicians. Each venue is unique and takes the Zepp name along with the city in which it is located. The Zepp Company is a subsidiary of Tower Music and Entertainment and are sponsored by Asahi Brewing. Zepp Hilo is a blue marble circular ampitheater in miniature. It holds a maximum of 3000 spectators and is elaborately decorated with memorabilia showcasing the art, history and science of music. Known for its excellent sound, the quality and variety of performances, it remains the stage to be on to break into national attention.
An unprepossesing brick building on the outskirts of downtown overlooking the Canawa River houses Ageha. Ageha is the spot to find the fashionable elite in their stylish suits and glittering dresses and accessories and is not for the casual party goer. The club boasts a vast main dance floor with a superb sound system taken advantage of nightly by a host of the best DJ's on the planet. The open terrace and pool has a view of the river regularly seen in films and television. There are a half dozen chill out spaces, an outdoor dance tent, and a romantically lit rooftop bar. The private beach and docks are favored by the yachting and sailing set. The view from the river features the back wall of the club, subtly lit so that the swallowtails, stenciled in gold, appear to be moving across the wall.
The Budoken Concert Hall is an octagonal building with a design inspired by the Hall of Dreams at Horyuji Temple in Nara. The building is known for its superb, some say perfect acoustics and the extremely enthusiastic audiences. Everyone from the Saito Kinen Symphony to L'arc en Ciel plays here. During the summer concert series many of the top acts such as Suzaku Blaze, Favorite Blue, Ya - Ya - Yah, Sexy Zone, and Chira-bi record their live albums and videos here and shows sell out within minutes. The winter orchestra season is also very popular and dates are often extended to accomodate audiences.
Yoyogi Park is a large man made landscaped park in the center of the residential district of Hilo. it has picnic areas, playgrounds, running and hiking trails, bike paths, sport courts and other such amenities, but the biggest draw of the park are the fair weather performers. every type from jugglers to musicians to martial artists to cosplayers. Sundays are especially busy as the fans gather around their favorites. The band stands are even more energetic in April for Notatakai Iwa a battle of the bands/ festival in which the winner receives a contract with King Records.
The Akasaka Blitz Live House is an intimate performance venue built directly over Akasaka Station in one of Hilo's central business districts, full of corporate headquarters and expensive hotels. Looking a bit like a big glass barn, this two story building is an excellant venue with a capacity of just 1200. The first floor, where the atmosphere is generated, is all standing. The second floor is more of a balcony that seats 200 in sections. Top class Nejiro and visiting bands are regularly on the schedule, many of the performances are broadcast live on television. The venue is often closed for private events. But the most interesting nights at the Blitz are Thursday's Open Stage Nights. The jam sessions occur weekly and are open to all comers. Anything and everything goes, musically anyway.
