Post #234407 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Sun, May 28, 2006 3:17 PM

We missed you at breakfast too, PiPhiRo! (Sleep is highly overrated).

I had a great time last night. It was so gratifying to see the event come together as it did. So we were a little under-booked at the buffet; On the plus side that meant that for once there was plenty of food for all (and the Mahi Mahi was just outstanding), plus some folks were just delayed and showed up safe and sound after all. We also made up for the dinner reservations by a good group of people who bought tickets later in the evening for the entertainment. In the end, we did a little better than break even, and I'll be able to send some extra money to the bands after all. Polynesiac's contribution from his pendant sales also helped make this happen.

On top of that, the management was extremely happy with our group and TC's reputation remains Sterling. That is important because it helps us when we want to book further events like this (at Sam's if Sam's does re-open under different management, or at other venues as well). A negative reputation spreads by word-of-mouth to all potential venues and makes these events tougher to put together. We did the opposite. Managers Tommy & Tony were telling me horror stories of brawls that had broken out at concerts at Sam's in the past and about being shut down by the police. We, on the other hand, policed ourselves perfectly and I could watch the management warm to us as the evening went on. At the end of the night, they were effusive in their happiness. They really liked the bands too.

I think I was happiest watching the bands perform in the Hidden Village. The waterfall with tikis behind the stage and the giant fish float lamps suspended over their heads made the absolute perfect backdrop for a surf or exotica band. I felt again like I was stepping back in time and catching a glimpse of what a Polynesian palace back in its heyday must have been like. It was magical. I think you could have knocked Tony of the Martini Kings down with a feather when he arrived during the Glasgow Tiki Shakers set and caught a glimpse of the Hidden Village in all its glory. He had a grin from ear to ear.

Both bands were outstanding. The sound system worked great (a big sticking point with me when it goes wrong), and the music filled the room nicely. Such an amazing sound from two three-piece bands! Surf, then Exotica! Holy Cow, what a nice mix! King Kukulele amazed me again by his ability to stitch a show together with his improv and comedy and uke-playing and make it flow seamlessly. The King was able to wander up to the bamboo balconies above the stage and entertain from there as well, among the folks who had those prime box seats. The raffle was a lot of fun too. Tiki Diablo's carved swordfish sign made you salivate in person to see it. I think some of the Sam's managers hit him up for custom signs of their own.

I enjoyed meeting other TC members who I hadn't met yet like Tom Slick, TikiSan, Tiki-Tina and Bamboo Boyd from Phoenix, Lounge Lizard and others. It was great catching up with Spike (LuckyDesigns). We met for the first time at Sam's over three years ago and it was bittersweet to think that we might both be there to witness its closing as well.

On that topic: Two weeks ago the managment had heard that the land was going to be developed for condos. Since then, they've heard that the new owners are unable to get permits from Huntington Beach to do the developing - at least for two years. The talk is that the new owners might re-open the restaurant under new management in the meantime to make some revenue from the land. I'm skeptical by nature, but would love to see that happen. I think it just as likely that the building could remain vacant or get bulldozed during those two years. In any case, the restaurant will close for an indeterminate amount of time while the old manager and owner retire and new management is possibly hired to replace them. There were other rumors floating around that the new owners would like to turn the restaurant into a venue for rock concerts. I have know idea of the validity of that rumor either.

The staff that has been there for over 20 years told me that back in the 70s and 80s all the rooms of the restaurant were filled every night. Nowadays, it's a few scattered patrons in the front dining room and bar each night. I bet that focused, continuous promotion could fill Sam's again, but I'm scared that we won't have the chance to see that happen.

A tremendous debt of thanks goes to WooHooWahine, Bigtikidude, & SoccerTiki for their tireless volunteer work. It couldn't have happened without them. Thanks also to the Glasgow Tiki-Shakers, the Martini Kings, and to King Kukulele who all agreed to perform on such short notice. Thanks to everyone who attended and showed support for Sam's. Thanks to Polynesiac for working feverishly over the past week to produce those sublime pendants. They did end up selling like hotcakes. Thanks to Tiki Diablo for donating his carved swordfish sign as grand prize in the raffle - I don't think I could have parted with it if I were him. Thanks to Goddess-sun and company for holding up more than their end of the dancing. Thanks to all of the folks who volunteered to help that I was unable to use. You're all great.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2006-05-28 15:20 ]