The grand opening for Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber Thursday night was really grand as Jimmy extended a scheduled one-hour concert to two hours and had a standing showroom crowd dancing, swaying, swinging, shouting, and singing along. Jimmy obviously was feeling good and having a ball. Local boys Jake Shimabukuro and Henry Kapono got their licks in, too. Jake was on stage all night with the nine-piece Coral Reef Band and also played a solo song as Jimmy stepped aside and gave him the spotlight. Henry joined in on Jimmy's monster hit “;Margaritaville.”; He also was in on one of Jimmy's three encores. A few of the 550 guests looked a bit like monsters as they wore parrot and shark head dressings. Many wore balloon head designs, created by women towering above them on stilts. There also were men on stilts. It was a very colorful affair. Jimmy wore a T-shirt and board shorts and the wait staff was attired in colorful aloha shirts and knee-length cargo shorts. People were spread across a large lanai overlooking Kalakaua Avenue before the concert. They were offered beverages and tasty food including steak sandwiches, pot stickers, mini-cheeseburgers, nachos and more. There was also a sushi chef. Expense was not spared. Anyone trying to crash the party found it difficult as invited guests had to show a photo ID checking in and were given a wrist band and a card to wear around their necks. Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is no charge for valet parking, but the car-parkers deserve a tip. Outrigger Hotels Barbara Campbell, who leased all the shops and restaurants on Waikiki Beach Walk, worked three years to get Jimmy to open a spot here. It was certainly worth the effort. Jimmy performs tonight at 7 at the Waikiki Shell with his band and Jake as a guest ...

Diana Krall is one of the best singer-pianists in the business and she will be starring with the Symphony Toyota Pops March 19 and 20, 8 p.m., in the Blaisdell Concert Hall. This woman is fabulous and ticket demand for her is heavy. So those who want to catch her had best make reservations fast. She's known for jazz and pops hits and besides those she will preview her “;Quiet Nights”; CD scheduled for release March 31, a mix of ballads and Brazil's bossa nova ...

Pianist Betty Loo Taylor kicks off her “;Lent and All That Jazz”; free noon concerts at Kawaiahao Church Sanctuary Wednesday. She has some of the town's best jazzmen performing with her in the opener in singer Jimmy Borges, sax player Gabe Baltazar, bassist Steve Jones and drummer Morgan Grant. The concerts will run for six Wednesdays. Singer Melveen Leed stars in the March 18 program and she will also sing in the final show on April 8 with Jimmy. Bag a lunch and head on over to Kawaiahao for musical treats ...