Las Vegas is kicking our okole.
Sin City has been doing it for a while, but the discrepancy in entertainment and, well, joyfulness, has never been this great.
There was a distant time ago when Hawaii sorta-sorta held its own against its calabash island.
They had “Viva Las Vegas” Elvis, we had “Aloha from Hawaii” Elvis. We even had Little Elvis — Peter Hernandez — who grew up to be Bruno Mars. Casinos? We had Chinatown’s back rooms, where the for-amusement-only curious could get odds on high school football games. We even had a superior version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
But then Vegas went next level on us. Everything is bigger and way better in the desert. McCarran International Airport makes ours look like the airport on “Wings.” McCarran has video poker and slot machines; HNL does not sell gum.
Nearly every Vegas hotel is a “resort” with an entertainment venue. Vegas’ theaters are arenas, and their arenas are Eighth Wonders. Last weekend, Vegas was host to a rodeo, a UFC event, a relics/autographed-card convention, and scores of shows. About 18th on the list of options for tourists was a band with a terrific horn section and lead singer. You might have heard of Earth, Wind & Fire.
Vegas has the Raiders, Golden Knights, Max Holloway fights, and your high school class reunion and birth-year celebration. It is a city that is fun, welcoming and inclusive. My father-in-law is crabbier than Tamatoa. He refers to me as TJ (“that jackass”). But mention “Vegas” and he salivates like Pavlov’s dog.
We all drool until we have that whoa moment. Know how life is blissful until you realize what you don’t have? Many UH fans were giddy about the Ching Complex serving as an on-campus alternative until Aloha Stadium’s replacement is built sometime in your grand-kids’ lifetime. But after supporters attended the UH-UNLV football game in $2 billion Allegiant Stadium, the realization was they were given a flip phone with the promise that the iPhone 13 Pro Max was on back order.
In comparison, even though Allegiant was built with the NFL in mind, UNLV is treated as an equal tenant. The Rebels have their own locker rooms, meeting rooms, coaches’ booth and meal plans. Tickets for UNLV football games are sold on an ascending basis. When the lower tier is filled, then tickets to the higher levels are sold. Vegas employs the theory that there is enough success for everybody. Playing in an NFL stadium is proving to boost the image — and recruiting — for a UNLV program that used to call Kenny Mayne one of its more famous football alumni.
Vegas has even made the most of what used to be a Hawaii staple. Tickets go on sale to the general public today for the 2022 Pro Bowl. Prices range from $66 to $435 before taxes and fees. There is a deluxe package, beginning at $1,995 a person, that includes stays at Resorts World, pregame hospitality, a behind-the-scenes experience, and a meet-and-greet with an “NFL legend.” Maybe Kenny Mayne will be there, too.
Hawaii will never be Vegas, but it can regain a sliver in the entertainment market. Legalizing gambling to open casinos would be a start. But the more reasonable solution would be to finalize a commitment to building a new stadium in Halawa. While it would benefit UH — Aloha Stadium was built to help the Warriors join a Division I conference — it also would provide a venue for concerts and other large-scale events. That would bring in much-needed revenue to Hawaii, as well as give residents more options than to binge-watch shows off their cousin’s Netflix account.
Residents have proven a willingness to pay for entertainment. It would be economically prudent to provide a place for them to spend it.
