Southwest Hosts Free Concert in Hawaii Featuring Russell Dickerson and Lily Meola
We’re continuing our celebration of our fifth anniversary of Hawaii service, with Hawaii Heart Beats, a program and concert focused on connecting the people of Hawaii to one of the things that is important in their lives—music.
Through Hawaii Heart Beats, we encouraged Hawaii residents to sign up for a Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® account and enter a sweepstakes to win concert tickets, airfare, and a hotel stay. The program culminated with a concert hosted at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center (MACC), that brought Multi-Platinum country artist, Russell Dickerson, and Hawaii local, Lily Meola, to Maui for a weekend full of music, love, and uplifting community support.
The Boys and Girls Club of Maui welcomed Russell Dickerson and Lily Meola the day before the concert for a private acoustic performance, with inspiring melodies for the kids to enjoy. As part of the collaboration, Southwest® donated $10,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of Maui and sent each kid home with boxed food for their families.
The Hawaii Heart Beats free concert took place on Saturday, April 27, with more than 1,000 attendees. Prior to the show, we surprised a small group of guests with an intimate meet and greet with Dickerson and Meola.
"This special Hawaii Heart Beats concert allowed us to connect with locals through our shared passion point of music," said Jennifer Bridie, Vice President Marketing Communications & Strategy. "The concert was a great way to engage with attendees in a meaningful way, further building relationships with our local Customers."
This concert marks a new milestone for Russell Dickerson, as this was his first performance in Hawaii. We have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Lily Meola, as she performed a Live at 35 inflight concert on our inaugural flight to Kahului (Maui). The night opened with fun, experiential opportunities for guests including photo opportunities; food and drinks; and of course, Southwest swag.