The Hukilau Hotshots are a fantastic 1940’s-style Hawaiian-music group who very rarely put on live concerts. We last saw them six years ago at the Cicada Club in Los Angeles. We were therefore excited to see they were coming to Long Beach and performing at Secret Island Tiki Bar & Lounge.
We bought tickets through the event promoter, Christopher Burkhardt’s Stellar Shows. We got 2 VIP seats, which were only $20 each (plus a $3/ea. service charge). We expected to have a great evening, along with dinner and drinks at the venue, as we’ve done at other events from this promoter in the past. Nothing was said, either on their website or in their emails, about any other charges or fees. It didn’t even mention a “two drink minimum”, even though that is common practice, and we definitely would have been fine with that!
Just 5 days before the event, I received an email from Stellar Shows where this tiny phrase, not present before, was snuck in: “It’s a rare cover charge at Secret Island”.
After doing some investigating, I found out the cover charge at the door would be $20 per person. We were probably going to spend a couple hundred on dinner and drinks anyway, so obviously we could afford an extra $20, but that’s not the point. The problem is they doubled the cost of entry, AFTER we’d already bought tickets!
What’s the point of paying for tickets if you’re going to charge a cover also? It should be one or the other. When I bought the tickets from Stellar Shows, I expected those tickets to gain me entry. I should not be expected to pay again.
Do you blame the venue, or the promoter? For the sake of argument, lets assume for a moment that the promoter was acting in good faith, and that the venue sprung this on him at the last minute. Any promoter with an ounce of integrity would have told the venue “no, sorry, you can’t do that. I’ve already sold tickets with no mention of other charges, it’s too late to tack that on now.” If the venue refuses to back down, he’d then send an email to his ticket holders saying “the venue wants to add a $20 cover charge; this wasn’t the original agreement; if you’d like a refund let me know and we’ll take care of you.” Or, find another venue. Or cancel the event entirely.
Nothing was done. And that’s on the promoter.
Stellar Shows’ refund policy is simply “no refunds after 48 hours of purchase.” I was way past that having bought tickets early, so I knew they wouldn’t give me a refund. And I knew that if I went I’d have an argument with somebody at the door about it, and even if I got in after that, there was just no way I’d be able to relax and enjoy the evening anymore, knowing I had been bait-and-switched. So, we just didn’t go. I lost $46 on 2 “VIP” tickets I couldn’t use; the venue missed out on probably $200 or so of food & beverage; and the promoter is now someone I’ll avoid.
Bottom line, beware of Stellar Shows. Unless the event is one you absolutely can’t miss, the chance of a disingenuous, last-minute money grab is not worth it.
The Proof:
1. Event information from Stellar Shows’ website. No mention of any cover charge:
2. Email from Stellar Shows dated May 12, 2026. No mention of any cover charge:
3. Ticket purchase receipt dated May 22, 2026. No mention of any cover charge:
4. Email from Stellar Shows dated May 26, 2026. No mention of any cover charge:
5. Email from Stellar Shows dated June 2, 2026 — five days before the concert. First ever mention of a cover charge!
