Regina Lal long ago lost count of how many times she’s seen Janet Jackson live in concert, but clearly the thrill has not diminished.
On Friday evening, the 43-year-old from Vancouver, British Columbia, flitted excitedly outside the entrance to the Blaisdell Arena, eagerly anticipating the second of Jackson’s three sold-out performances in Honolulu.
“She’s just a class act,” said Lal. “She’s always been herself. She’s not like Madonna, who keeps changing. She has a point of view with her music and artistry that hasn’t changed.”
Lal traveled from Vancouver to Honolulu just for the concerts. She’ll follow Jackson to Japan for the next leg of the tour.
Jackson last performed in Hawaii 13 years ago, in support of her 2001 release “All for You.” Her absence from the islands has coincided with an extended absence from the top of the pop charts. Nonetheless, her appeal to Honolulu residents of a certain age remains powerful, as evidenced by the transformation of the Blaisdell breezeway into something resembling Cilly’s circa 1987.
Amid the sea of shoulderless blouses, the multitude of which has not been seen since the demise of the Ritz, Mina Visitacion, 41, and Vel Almogela, 43, of Waipahu were enjoying a rare date night.
“We like the oldies,” Visitacion said, “the ones our kids don’t know.”
Kendall Kawamoto, 50, and Melissa Confer, 49, of Mililani were also hopeful that Jackson would include a generous helping of ’80s and ’90s hits in her set.
“I’ve always leaned toward her ’80s music,” Kawamoto said, chuckling.
The offerings at the merch table spanned much of Jackson’s career, from “Rhythm Nation” hoodies ($80) to “Janet” long-sleeve shirts ($55) to “Unbreakable” mugs ($30) that came with no actual assurance of living up to its billing.
Carolynne Durant-Hall, 51, of Kapolei, described herself as a lifelong fan of the entire Jackson clan.
“I’m just looking forward to the excitement of seeing her perform,” Durant-Hall said. “My husband is looking forward to a wardrobe malfunction.”
A note from the editor: Entertainer’s demands curtail complete coverage
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser is not publishing photos of Janet Jackson’s concert because of onerous terms dictated by her management team, Juggernaut Productions Inc.
Terms that we would have had to agree to include:
>> Still photos of Jackson only if taken during 30 seconds of her first song.
>> All rights to the photos would be owned by Juggernaut.
>> Star-Advertiser would have the right to use photo(s) “expressly approved in writing by Artist, in a single instance.”
>> If the photos were to be printed along with a news story, “the final edit of such text shall be subject to Artist’s prior written approval.”
Never mind that thousands of people attending the concerts have undoubtedly taken and shared thousands of photos — media photographers, who would have been there as a proxy for those who were not were presented with unacceptable take-it-or-leave-it terms. The terms we were given — which others also have declined — seem to be standard ones for this tour; a search of media coverage of Jackson concerts in many other cities is accompanied by older photos of her.
As a result of Juggernaut’s egregious demands, we unfortunately could not provide a proper review, which would have required photos of Jackson in action and the concert scene in general.
Many national news and photo organizations are trying to work with the entertainment industry (and sports) on what they perceive as “particularly restrictive credentialing agreements” issued to photographers and videographers, citing Janet Jackson as being among those who havew “very restrictive provisions.” You can read their open letter to performers, endorsed by 11 news organizations, here: 808ne.ws/1QBzwzM.
Frank Bridgewater
Star-Advertiser Editor
