The Peas aim to please

I MIGHT not be the biggest fan of the Black Eyed Peas, but I can respect their effort to entertain an enthusiastic audience at the Blaisdell Arena on Monday.

The vast majority of people at the concert stayed on their feet for almost two hours as the Peas churned out hits like "Hey Mama," "Pump It," "Shut Up" and "Where Is the Love." In between their own songs, various members of the group would freestyle to old-school tracks like Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P." and Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock's "It Takes Two."

Even Fergie got into the swing of things, putting her own spin on the Guns N' Roses classic "Sweet Child o' Mine," just a few minutes before she stole the spotlight with "London Bridge," the first single off her forthcoming solo album.

Unfortunately, the only taste we got of the Peas' early work was the introduction to "Joints and Jam," before their live band flipped the script and launched into "Don't Lie." At least Lyrics Born, the night's opening act, came with a slightly more underground sound that seemed to win over some of the crowd at the beginning of the night ...

LOOKING FOR a new way to kick off the weekend? Head to Ala Moana Center and give the happy hour at Islands a try.

From 4 to 7 p.m. daily, customers can enjoy half-priced pupus and save $1 on all liquor served at the bar. Free chips and salsa are also available with any food purchase. The discount is important, since items like the BBQ Chicken Quesadilla ($9.45), Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($9.49) and Buffalo Wings ($9.99) seem a little too pricey otherwise.

I'm also impressed by the burgers at Islands. The Hula burger ($8.99) I ordered came piled high with mushrooms atop a layer of Swiss cheese, with the patty itself seasoned and cooked just the way I like it.

Looking for a little more adventure? Try the Bleunami ($8.99), with bleu cheese dressing and crumbled bleu cheese, or the Kilauea ($8.99), with its jalapeño and peppercorn-crusted patty smothered in pepper jack cheese and a chipotle aioli.

My only suggestion to the management at Islands would be to reopen the outside lanai to happy-hour customers. It's the perfect spot to enjoy the live entertainment at the neighboring Mai Tai Bar without having to deal with the crowds ...

NOPE, it wasn't Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards who performed with Paul Ogata recently. An item on Tuesday should have mentioned former "Seinfeld" cast member Michael Richards instead ...

PICKS FOR this weekend: The Supersonic Space Monkeys celebrate one year together at Bliss tonight ... DJs Ramyt, Miklos, Akio, Stretru, Careless and Revise take over "Refresh" at Brew Moon on Saturdays ...

In the Mix drops Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Star-Bulletin.
Reach Jason Genegabus at jgenegabus@starbulletin.com.