Gwen Stefani Rocks The Blaisdell

We went to the Gwen concert on Saturday night! It was a total blast. I'm so glad we purchased tickets for this performance. It was her second concert night in Honolulu and the grand finale of her international Sweet Escape Tour. We had pretty good seats, too. I was worried when I bought the tickets online because the pickings were mighty slim. It's my fault because I was dallying the day everyone else was scrambling for good seats. When I found out the best we could do was upper level seating (SEC 12 ROW K SEATS 1 & 2) I was worried we would only get to watch Ms. Stefani from the back for the entire show. Then again, she does have a nice back so it wouldn't have been a total loss, right?

Since I bought these tickets back in April 3, 2007 I've had some time to regret being a slowpoke. But everything turned out all right. As we approached our seats, we realized we had seats pretty close to the stage. Although there was zero chance of Gwen or the Harajuku Girls making eye contact with us, we were perched up in decent seats that afforded us an excellent view of all the Gwen-tastic action on stage right.

It's only Monday, but the concert is already one big, sexy blur. Here are the highlights though. Gwen opened with Sweet Escape and using my binoculars I could practically count every single eyelash on the girl. For a new mom, she looked incredible. She has a face that mesmerizes. Red lipstick and an impossibly perfect blonde updo. Black stilleto boots, sequined black shorts, black stockings and a tight fitted white long sleeve under a black and white tiny sweater vest. Although I was sad she didn't perform a single No Doubt song, she cranked out all her recent solo hits such as Rich Girl, Wind It Up, and Hollaback Girl.

What's most remarkable about Gwen is that no matter what she's singing, she really works up the crowd and you're loving every minute of it even if you're not familiar with a particular song. Like that one song that borrows from the Notorious B.I.G. As soon as we heard it, we had to shout, "I love it when you call me big poppa!"

Anyway, when the song starts, and the Haraujuku Girls appear in kimonos dancing seductively around dapper gents in Roaring 20s film noir suit and hats and you hear that shamisen or koto instrument being plucked to the Big Poppa hook, it's simply delicious for the senses. She's interactive with the audience, too. Between songs, she tells brief stories about how the baby slept until 1:30 in the afternoon and so did she. That's why she is so sleepy, she says. She also references the next day's trip to Maui where she'll play in the sand and get stalked by paparazzi. Don't hate her for having cellulite, she says.

At the end of the day, she's just a girl. Well, a regular mom having a nice time in the islands. She even happily accepts thrown flower leis and makes shout outs to kids carrying "Aloha, Gwen" signs. I wish we had seats on the ground level because near the end of the show, she streaked through the concert hall creating pandemonium in the cheap seats! She said she was sweating like crazy and asked anyone for something to blow her nose into. She accepted a gross bandanna from stranger and I kind of wished I had brought something to sail her way. She even performed a song literally on top of the cheap seats at the farthest point across from the stage.

I don't know what else to say. It was a fantastic show. Kinda short, but I have no complaints, really. Before the concert was over, she did change into a tiny tank and low rise pants, revealing her flat tummy and belly. My girlfriend pointed it out and I was happy. Everything was great. Even the little details. Just like parking several blocks away near Ward Theatres so we wouldn't get stuck in the lot after. Scarfing down a fillet of fish sandwich and chicken nuggets from McDonalds in the car 15 minutes before the show. That was a perfect night.

- Jason Soeda