We rocked,
we rolled
Has it been a year already?
By John Berger
Here are the top events that
kept us entertained
Special to the Star-Bulletin
1. The music didn't die in Waikiki. Many wailed that the entertainment industry was fading fast in Waikiki even as Robert Iwamoto invested $9 million in John Hirokawa's new "Magic of Polynesia" show at the Waikiki Beachcomber, Tihati Productions and Sheraton Hawaii put $500,000 into a new edition of Tihati's revue at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani, and the Society of Seven staged its biggest and most elaborate show ever in the Outrigger Main Showroom.
The Hawaiian Regent, Sheraton Moana Surfrider, Duke's Canoe Club, Sheraton Waikiki, Halekulani and Wave Waikiki continued as major venues for local musicians playing everything from jazz to pop to slack-key to cha-lang-alang to rock.
And as if that wasn't proof enough: Don Ho marked 34-plus years as a Waikiki headliner. The Brothers Cazimero played their 21st Annual May Day Concert at the Shell, and Peter Moon staged the 17th Annual Blue Hawaiian Moonlight concert at the Shell in July. Genoa Keawe celebrated her 80th birthday while entertaining at the Hawaiian Regent. No, the music isn't dying in Waikiki!
2. Tom Rules -- Part 2: Tom Moffatt continued his reign as Hawaii's super concert promoter by presenting the Rolling Stones and Mariah Carey at Aloha Stadium. The Stones proved that when it comes to rock music age is nothing but a number.
3. Aloha, Miss Universe: Gov. Ben Cayetano ignored polls showing a majority of island residents opposed paying Donald Trump $3.3 million to crown Brook Lee's successor here. The Donald got paid. When the show was pau, most seemed to feel it was money well-spent. Danny Couch's "These Islands" was one of the themes of the event.4. Clubs and showrooms swing: Frank DeLima moved from the Hula Hut to the Captain's Table Lounge. Don Ho's Island Grill opened at Aloha Tower. The New World Cafe opened on the site of the former Nimitz Hall. Tom Moffatt opened Coconuts with an open-mic format emcee'd by Sonny Maguire in the Ilikai.
Jack Law and Bob Magoon marked Hula's 24th anniversary with a closing-night party in July because some developer believes the space is needed for another Waikiki shopping mall! Hula's was reborn in the Waikiki Grand Hotel, overlooking Kapiolani Park, in November.
Gigs by Royal Crown Revue and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies helped launch the neo-swing craze here. Swing nights were big at the Pier Bar. Swingwood Revue surfaced as Hawaii's most visible local neo-swing act.
5. Na Hoku Hanohano Award brouhahas: Wins by Fiji and Sean Na'auao, and the addition of jazz and rock categories, reflected a growing acceptance of "new school" music by the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts. The HARA Board of Governors got political by giving a special Hoku Award to "A Musical Tradition: Na Mele Ho'oheno," an album released by Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate, after the album didn't make the final ballot. The board "recognized," but did not award a special Hoku to "Songs of the Hawaiian Cowboy: Na Mele O Paniolo," the soundtrack of the Edgy Lee film.
6. Festivals rock: The Big Mele at Kualoa Ranch continued as event of the year in festival rock. Big Mele VI -- with bands Homegrown, Blink 182, Matchbox, Candlebox and Long Beach Dub All Stars -- matched Big Mele V last year. Sunburn became the first local band to play the Mele.
The Warped Tour brought Reel Big Fish, 311, Vandals, Mighty Mighty BossTones, Royal Crown Revue and Blink 182 to Waimanalo in January.
Other notable shows in '98: Dave Brubeck (Blaisdell Concert Hall), David Copperfield (Blaisdell Concert Hall), Green Day (Andrews Amphitheater), Hepcat and Save Ferris (Andrews Amphitheater), Natalie Merchant (Sheraton Waikiki), Jim Nabors' "Friends and Nabors" Christmas show (Hawai'i Theatre), 'N Sync (Aloha Stadium), Van Halen (Blaisdell Arena), Regine Velasquez (Blaisdell Arena) and George Winston & Led Kaapana (Blaisdell Concert Hall). Pearl Jam put Maui on the map as a concert venue in February.
A brawl during the "Unity Tour" reggae mega-concert at Turtle Bay in September raised the question, "Why do advocates of 'One Love' always like beefing each other?"
7. Cecilio & Kapono and Kalapana celebrate silver anniversaries: C&K marked 25 years with a two-nighter at the Honolulu Zoo in September. Former members Kirk Thompson and Michael Paulo sat in when Kalapana played the Waikiki Shell in November.
8. We like theater! Big-budget road show productions of "Cats" and "A Chorus Line," and Robert Wagner and Jill St. John in "Love Letters," were the star-power events, but Hawaii's community- theater groups offered a good mix of well-staged dramas, musicals and comedies. Lee Cataluna and Tony Pisculli proved local playwrights to watch; Cataluna's first play, "Da Mayah," was a hit at Kumu Kahua. Maverick director Boots Pascual continued staging Philippine plays for American audiences. Honolulu Dance Theatre's staging of Matthew Wright's "Frankenstein" as a ballet/theatre hybrid was another landmark.
9. Film festival fumble: The Hawai'i International Film Festival caved in to pressure from the People's Republic of China by stripping "Windhorse," a film about the brutal Chinese occupation of Tibet, of a nomination for a Golden Maile Award. The film received two major awards at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival this summer; the Golden Maile is our festival's top award. "Windhorse" was screened here once but the Golden Maile nomination was not restored. The Chinese Communists made their point and had it their way.
10. Local Music Booms: More than 190 titles were released. KCCN's Pride of the Islands competition, Frank B. Shaner's falsetto contest and I-94's Brown Bags to Stardom program provided exposure for local singers, musicians and song writers.
Irmgard Farden Aluli became the first living artist inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame (John K. Almeida, R. Alex Anderson, Bina Mossman and David Nape were this year's posthumous inductees).
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