80's Night at Gannon's, Wailea

You would think that given all the information on the Internet, there would more reviews about Maui nightlife. It is true that there isn’t a great deal of nightlife on Maui such as you would find on the Mainland and this is due to the fact that vacationers mainly come to the island for the beaches. Between this fact and the time difference between Hawaii and the rest of the world, Maui is generally a quiet place after 9pm. Not always, though. Outside of the well-known “Triangle” in south Maui’s Kihei – The “Triangle” being a collective of several bars – some Wailea and Makena restaurants occasionally turn themselves into a dance venue. During the summer months, once a month, Gannons in south Maui itself hosts “Gannons After Dark: The 80’s in Wailea.”

First, the facts: Gannon’s is located up a hill on 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr. The cover is $10 a person or $15 a head if you want to reserve a table. There is plenty of free parking. The event begins at 9pm and goes until 1am, which for Maui, might as well be more like 4am. Once inside, you will notice how spacious the venue is as most of the restaurant’s tables have been stored away, leaving a few tables surrounding the dance floor and outside on the lanai (patio). This is a breath of fresh air as it allows you to actually get to the bar without much trouble. On the other hand, there are some tables too close to the dance floor which cuts down on the actual dance floor area; the “dance floor” itself is actually quite small by Mainland standards. The crowd was mostly locals; about 80% by my estimations, with ages ranged from the 20’s to 50’s. The rest of the crowd was comprised largely of vacationing 20-somethings doing the bridal shower thing or looking to get out of their hotel rooms and away from their families. The drink prices are about what you would expect for this ritzier part of the island though surprisingly not all that insane. This is Hawaii after all.

The experience: My group arrived shortly after the party started at 9pm and by the time we walked in the dance floor was already hopping. It appears as though the locals take full advantage of any nightlife down this part of the island and I don’t blame them. We were also surprised to see how many people actually took the time to dress up in their 80’s paraphernalia: You had your aerobic junkies and jocks, preppies, Madonna-wannabes, neon-clad girls, metal-heads, etc. Actually, so many people put some effort into what they were wearing it made the people who weren’t in costume seem silly in comparison even if those people were dressed nicely. (Of course, I’m sure no one goes on vacation expecting to pack an 80’s costume, especially since Hawaii has long maintained a psychological connection to the 70’s.) The crowd was friendly and few people in this setting thought twice about striking up a conversation just for the sake of it. Unfortunately, as the hours and alcohol wore on, a few people did get out of control on the dance floor which was small enough to begin with. As The 80’s in Wailea seems to be a popular event, I would advise Gannons to back the tables away from the dance floor a little more. It just seems odd that given the amount of space available to the venue that they would try to box in the dance floor so much. (However, one suspects a more crowded-in dance floor makes for better photo and video opportunities.) Now that I think more about some of the tables being so close to the dance floor, I would advise against reserving a table as people are simply going to put their drinks down wherever they can find space, whether your table is reserved or not. If you really need to sit down, there were plenty of unreserved tables outside on the lanai.

Meanwhile, the music, supplied by local boys DJ LX and emceed by Jay J, was passable enough despite some early technical glitches. And I personally would have enjoyed the music more if they would have let more songs pay all the way through. It’s just as a musician myself, well, I probably pay too much attention to these things and maybe shouldn’t criticize. But I will definitely give DJ LX credit for mashing up several songs and giving a few of them some much needed backbone with some extra beats and bass. That aside, how much fun this event is doesn’t rely much on the DJ but rather the already high enthusiasm of the patrons going in. All things considered, I can’t wait for the next retro-80’s party at Gannons. I’ll be there; just look for one of the ten guys in zebra-striped pants.

Totally gettin' rad here!