Posted by Bob Haworth Don's show is unique in that it's really a variety show, ala Ed Sullivan. Don doesn't even take the stage for the first 45 minutes. He has a great band and the show opens with "Tiny Bubbles", a very large Hawaiian lady who sings and tells some funny stories. Then she MC's and introduces a string of entertainers who come out for one number each, including a champion hula dancer, an amazing 12-year-old female ukulele player, "Tokyo Joe", a Japanese banjo player (he played a medly that included "Locky Top" - his words, not mine) and a Las Vegas-style comedian, who then introduced Don. Don did all his trademark songs and, since the royalty of the Hawaiian entertainment industry was in attendance for his first night back, he invited a slew of people on stage to sing, some with him, some to him (one fantastic singer who's name escapes me had written a kind of ode to his return.) He even had a well-known news writer join him on "No Big Thing". All in all it was a fun evening and we really enjoyed meeting so many celebrities. If you're in Honolulu on a Sunday evening I strongly recommend that you book reservations to see Don's show. He's 75 now and still has a lot of life in him, but at that age and with his health situation, you never know.
on February 13, 2006, 1:07 pm, in reply to "Re: The Kingston Trio and John Stewart"
4.228.9.72
We were very lucky to catch Don Ho's return engagement on our last Sunday evening in Hawaii. Don has been ailing with heart problems and hadn't performed since last Thanksgiving. In December he traveled to Bangkok for a stem cell procedure to strengthen his heart. The treatment was successful (why can't our own AMA get in tune with the rest of the world?) and he was chomping at the bit to get back on stage. He's lost quite a bit of weight, as you can tell from the photo, but he sounded good and put on a wonderful show. Classic Don Ho stuff. He's going to continue doing Sunday nights only until he gets a little stronger. He may not be everybody's cup of tea, but he is a Hawaiian icon and we were glad to have the opportunity to meet him and see his show. We chatted a little about the music biz and he asked how Bob Shane is.
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