Elliman sets stage for Crater Fest

The Diamond Head festival returns after a 28-year break

Widely expected to be a washout thanks to unprecedented bad weather, the first Diamond Head music festival in 28 years achieved liftoff the moment Yvonne Elliman began to sing.

Elliman, who also played the festival back in the '70s and now backed by the Honolulu Symphony, noted that playing in the crater again engendered memories tempered with homesickness. "I'm older now, and forget things," she said. "I used to sing with Eric Clapton and lost some brain cells, but what an adventure!"

The crowd of several thousand, many wearing tie-dye liberated from deep in the closet, roared approval at this, and set the note for the well-produced, businesslike concert.

Rain was on the minds of many. Kailua pilot Rob Moore, whose girlfriend had won tickets on the radio, checked the weather radar before attending. "There's a large storm cell headed this way," Moore said. "Ought to hit us this evening! But we've got tickets for Elvis Costello too, just in case."

Except for some sprinkles during Linda Ronstadt's set, rain stayed away for the first time in more than a month. "It's a miracle," said a relieved Elissa Josephsohn, publicity agent for the festival. The stage sported gin and ti leaves to appease the gods of weather, and clearly exhausted construction crews were still dragging temporary walkways into position as crowds streamed in.

Kenny Endo's drum ensemble set an appropriately tribal note when the festival began late at 2:38, followed by a fairly somber hula recital and then a pleasant interlude while Na Leo sang Andrews Sisters songs with the symphony. "When the crater festival was on I was like, 5," marveled Na Leo's Nalani Choy. "So this is the first time I've actually been in here."

Elliman kicked it up a notch, although her set was limited by efforts to get the concert back on schedule. WAR, the funky soul band that closed out the last crater festival in 1978, also brought the crowd to its feet and raised a cheer when keyboard player Lonnie Jordan -- the only original player in the band -- revealed the gig was being recorded for an album.

Ronstadt's businesslike set gave equal time to the Tin Pan Alley tunes she recorded with Nelson Riddle and the country-tinged rockers she made her reputation with in the 1970s. "Just the pop-music canon of the 20th century!" she joked.

This was also the first time a concert has been performed at night in the crater, and it fell to guitarist Steve Miller, another crater festival alumnus, to perform a rousing capper for the unexpectedly smooth event. "Last time I was here was in 1969, and I guess you were too," he shouted at the audience. "Look how well you turned out!"