By Michael Corcoran
It was a little frustrating being a rock music fan growing up in Hawaii because the only concerts we’d usually get in the ’70s were big acts on the way to Japan or Australia.
There were maybe five big shows a year and the clubs were overrun with cover bands for the tourists and G.I.s.
But in a single month of 1971, Honolulu hosted concerts by the Jackson 5 (with the Commodores opening), Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Here we had the world’s greatest pop star on Sept. 12, the world’s greatest hard rockers on Sept. 16 & 17 and America’s greatest rock band on Oct. 2 on an island nicknamed “The Rock” for its isolation. I was 15 and new to town, without a job, so I could only afford to see one of those acts- the Jackson 5, my favorite band at the time. 
Never regretted that decision, though it hurt when I heard a couple girls took off their tops at Led Zeppelin.
The legendary concert promoter Tom Moffatt, the former KPOI DJ who put on all those Elvis Presley shows in Hawaii, had hosted Led Zeppelin at the 8,500-capacity HIC earlier in 1971. Moffatt has written about how the band had so loved the house he rented for them between the base of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach that after a tour of Asia, Led Zep wanted to stay in the house another month, just to chill out. Somewhere in there, Moffatt convinced their manager Peter Grant to book the band for two shows at the 2,000-capacity Civic Auditorium- mainly used for roller derby and pro wrestling- on September 16 & 17, 1971.
It was two months before the release of “Led Zeppelin IV” with “Stairway to Heaven” would make them the biggest band in the world. We’re talking “Immigrant Song” era Led Zep, which was still pretty big. I remember the shows selling out in a day, which almost never happened back then because most tickets were sold at record stores and waterbed showrooms.
Some of my friends went to see Led Zeppelin at that relatively small venue and they talked about some girls taking their tops off and I was thinking that maybe I made a mistake by not going. If they hadn’t played less than a week after the J5 I surely would’ve went. But seeing Michael Jackson two weeks after he turned 13 isn’t a bad runnerup.
I was there too! And I, like Michael was 13. I lived on Hickam AFB and Michael’s uncle was stationed at Hickam. The guys went out to the base that Saturday to watch their cousins play football. I didn’t get to see them there but I heard all about it.
I totally don’t remember the the Commodores opened for the Jackson 5. We had great seats. About row 13 center.
Mark – Thank you! I “met” Michael at that (or one of) the football games, but nobody believes me! I would have been 9 and lived in the housing right next to the field where they played football (it was an old baseball stadium, as I recall). I don’t know how old the players were, but they were “big” kids to me. I was milling around the field and temporary bleachers they erected for football season – not sure if anybody was with me – and a limo, or some other large vehicle, pulled up behind the bleachers where I was. Michael stepped out and said “Hi”, followed by his brothers. I can’t say I immediately knew who they were – not sure if I was aware of the Jackson 5 then, but the next day my parents or somebody mentioned they were in town for a concert and had visited the base.
I went to a party at the house Led Zeppelin stayed in after one of the September 1971 concerts (don’t remember which date). It was beautiful – all wood and glass, with leather furniture. John Bonham and some other people were doing coke in one of the rooms when I opened the door, looking for a bathroom. Everyone’s head swivelled to look at me when I opened the door and there was definitely hostility in the air. I closed the door as fast as I could and scurried down the hall, still on my quest for a bathroom. (In general, the party had bad vibes.) About 30 minutes later, John Bonham came rocketing out of the house onto the patio, screaming, “Get out! Get out!” while throwing people into the pool, fully clothed. (The pool was an unusual darkish blue color, painted with swirly designs.) One of my friends ran out of the house on the ocean side and had to walk a very long way up the beach towards Waikiki before he could get up to the road, because all of the houses lining the beach had high fences. Some had dogs.