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IT was just like the old times with Don Ho last night and that meant that the late show was the great show as Ho celebrated his 70th birthday with a rare nightclub show at Don Ho's Island Grill. Ho took a brief break after about 60 minutes but played what was essentially a three-hour, nonstop party. A glass or two was broken and a few drinks spilled, but with Ho on his organ the old "suck 'em up" good-time spirit prevailed. Good times roll again
with Don Ho, friendsBy John Berger
Special to the Star-BulletinAnd, just like the old days at Duke's in the 1960s (or at Don Ho's in '81), Ho welcomed an eclectic mix of guests.
First and foremost was his 19-year-old daughter, Hoku, home for the party after a busy summer promoting her self-titled Geffen Records debut album.Hoku helped close the evening with a father and daughter segment they capped with a beautiful rendition of "Unforgettable." Yes, there's another father and daughter version of the song, but when Don and Hoku record their album of duets "Unforgettable" should be on it! There's no question either as of last night that Hoku can handle more than commercial teen-pop material.
Other guest performers evoked memories of the past:
Boyce Rodrigues brought down the house when his spirited rendition of "Tewe Tewe" proved sufficiently explicit to suggest the kaona (hidden meaning) in his comment that his mother wrote the Hawaiian classic "about a fish."
"I'm 56 and he's 70 but when we're on stage together nothing's changed between us," Kapu said afterward, adding that he still meets people who mistake him for Ho.
"It's the first time I've ever heard Lei sing, and she's perfect. Guess I screwed up (by not recording her) 40 years ago," Ho said.
Ho's tight-knit band -- Benny Chong on guitar, Johnny Todd playing piano, Hemingway Jasmin on keyboards, Wendell Ching on drums and Nathan Aweau plying bass -- gave solid support throughout.
Rip Taylor, Nohelani Cypriano, Edgy Lee, T.J. "Da DJ" Johnson, O'Brien Eselu, Jon de Mello, Sean Na'auao, Tom & Sweetie Moffatt, Brian Koga and Karl Lorch were among the capacity crowd that helped Ho celebrate.
