(Kona, Hawai’i 1.10.2025) Crazy, crazy night in Kona at the Elks Lodge. Last night was a true throwback show – no barricades, no security, tight quarters with stage diving, and a brutal mosh pit. Let’s dive into it!
El Sancho was up first followed by Kauz of Affliction (KOA), both bands brought their A-game getting the crowd riled up. A highlight for us was joining others in a mosh pit that reached into the stands during El Sancho. El Sancho and KOA are true forces behind the music scene on the Big Island. It was great to see them on the bill for this show.
Cut-Rate Druggist hit the stage and “man do they put on a killer show.” It was great to see Squeaky and Hal on stage for the second time this week. The energy these two put out is incredible and the crowd ate it up. Sticking primarily with the set they played in Waimea on Wednesday, Squeaky and Hal gave everyone an added bonus of playing two different songs at the same time. The pit action turned up a notch during their set, the crowd ready and warmed up for T.S.O.L.
T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) took the stage to a packed house in Kona, many fans scurried and dived over the front row of seats to the maybe five-foot strip in front of the stage that became the mosh pit where chaos took over. Starting off the evening with “The Sounds of Laughter”, the crowd watched as lead singer Jack Grisham led the band through a blistering 20-song set that never let up.
Fans took a brief amount of time to soak in T.S.O.L. on stage. But it wasn’t long before the pit broke open, creating a moment where the band and attendees were taken back in time to the late 80’s. An eclectic mix of young and old fans, metal heads, straight edge, and more. No security, no barricade, stage diving without interfering with the band’s performance, getting kicked in the face from stage diver. You don’t see that much at shows anymore due to Security reasons, but last night was something special in Kona.
T.S.O.L’s setlist ran the gauntlet of their career with crowd favorites “World War III,” “Abolish Government/Silent Majority,” and “Silent Scream" before ending the night with “Code Blue.” Bassist Michael Roche was unable to make the trip to Hawaii, so T.S.O.L. announced they are "keeping it in the family,” with Brandon Reza on bass. His stage presence is impressive.
The bruising on my body is real this morning. MoshPlayLive would like to thank all the fans that made the 90-minute drive from Hilo for this show, it was great to see everyone and even better to be in the pit with you last night.
There’s a lot coming in 2025 to the music scene on the Big Island, many projects are in the works behind the scenes that will make this year very special, get out and support live, local music and we’ll see you in the pit.
Peace, Love & Mosh Pits
Grom
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