Past-era musical acts a popular draw in Islands
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| Several 1970s acts have played the Islands recently. Left: Donald Fagen, left, and Walter Becker of Steely Dan performed at the Blaisdell Arena in October. Center: Kenny Loggins did a New Year's Eve show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Right: Dewey Bunnell, left, and Gerry Beckley of America were in a double bill with Chicago last month at the Arena.
Advertiser library photos |
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
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| The rock band Chicago performed in a double bill with America at the Blaisdell Arena last month. Chicago and a number of other 1970s acts have drawn crowds at recent performances in Hawai'i. |
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| KC (Harry Wayne Casey) is heading this way with the Sunshine Band to perform Saturday at the Waikiki Shell. |
KC and the Sunshine Band Headlining a concert marking the 25th anniversary of the Pro Bowl 7 p.m. Saturday Waikiki Shell $30, $25 reserved, lawn seats $15 advance ($20 at the door) (877) 750-4400 |
"The '70s acts have the support of the money crowd, the ones who buy a ticket," said Tom Moffatt, show presenter, who has mined box-office gold in recent weeks.
Though he won't reveal grosses, it's no secret that Island fans have been flocking to shows with flashback fervor. Not that performers are nostalgia-laced oldies; folks such as Jimmy Buffett at the Waikiki Shell and Maui Arts & Cultural Center last week, and America and Chicago in a double-bill last month at Blaisdell Arena, still have powerful, if underrated, turnstile appeal.
This weekend, Moffatt is staging — as part of the Pro Bowl festivities — KC and the Sunshine Band, an act that ascended in the good-times/good-vibes disco era, at the Waikiki Shell. Next weekend, he presents Tower of Power, the Oakland funk band, at Blaisdell Arena, with sort of a new twist: There will be tables and seats, plus cocktail and pupu service, emulating a nightclub, on the main concert floor.
Is this a '70s comeback, or what?
Prince, who had his start in the late 1970s, should have been one of those box-office goldies, too, said Nikki Robinson, Hawai'i event coordinator for Mainland-based Goldenvoice. Financially, he wasn't, though the princely one did put on a regal performance for a sparse house in December.
"The problem was the lateness in starting sales," Robinson said. "We only had two weeks. Christmas was around the corner. Word of mouth is a huge thing in this market, and we didn't have enough lead time."
Don't forget, too, that the concert was booked for an earlier date, then postponed till December. The uncertainty — will he, won't he? — didn't help The Artist Formerly Known As ...
"And yet, he had a great show," said Robinson. "Only, people found out after he'd come and gone."
Sometimes, it's simply a matter of If You Book It, They Will Come. Worked for Goldenvoice and Steely Dan.
Steely Dan, which had hits galore starting in 1972, attracted a sell-out Arena show in October, despite steep ticket prices ($81 top).
"It had a lot to do with the fact that they'd won the Grammy and that they hadn't toured in 20 years," said Robinson. "Good timing for them, good timing for us. A lot of times, for us in Hawai'i, we're at the mercy of the band, going to or from Japan or Australia; they'll factor us in. Bands strictly on the Mainland often don't look at us, because it takes five days to get in and out of here, and many can do five dates on the Mainland (in the same amount of time)."
During the holiday season, '70s acts were busy in the Islands.
Kenny Loggins built his track record with Jim Messina in the early 1970s. As a soloist, he remains a viable act — and did a New Year's Eve concert at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
The Doobie Brothers, also with '70s roots, reunited with former lead singer Michael McDonald in an Eve bill produced by David Gest at the Blaisdell Arena. Isaac Hayes, whose "Theme from 'Shaft' " was a No. 1 hit in 1972, was part of a roster that included, among others, Gloria Gaynor, whose "I Will Survive" disco anthem was No. 1 in '79.
Even Yes, the progressive-rock group from England, had a Hawai'i gig last fall — with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra — in a bill that bridged the rock world with the classical/pops realm.
And these familiar acts don't come at bargain prices. Seventies acts command big bucks in the 2000s, Moffatt said.
"When we did the Doobies in the 1970s, the top ticket was $7.50," he said.
That Eve gig, with the holiday element and multistar roster, had a $125 high here. Gaynor and Hayes also were part of an Eve package at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental, where the show and dinner cost $275 to $500.
One could see Buffett in the '70s for $7.50, Moffatt said. The top price was $75 last week.
Overhead, coupled with inflation, are the key reasons. "There were six people in Jimmy's party then. Now, it's 40 to 50," said Moffatt.
He said performers who emerged three decades ago have developed good track records, for the most part, and reliably deliver socko performances.
"Not putting down the Super Bowl halftime show, but really, will some of those acts still be drawing crowds 30 years from now?" Moffatt wondered.
Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067 or wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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KC and Sunshine Band happy to shake its boogie
Don't call Harry Wayne Casey, the KC of KC and the Sunshine Band, a nostalgia act.
Not just because he has 1970s vintage and much of his feel-good songs are part of the lexicon of the disco playlist that defined that era.
How can you be a nostalgia candidate if you've never left the mainstream?
"I've always liked all kinds of music and listen to all kinds of songs," said Casey, in a phone interview. "I love pop music, and that includes some country, some rock, some classics. Everything, really. I always look for, and try to write, songs that will lift me up. I think that's what music's supposed to do."
And that's the way he likes it, uh-huh, uh-huh.
His career has spanned three decades. He's outlived disco. And his music keeps coming back, in new films, on TV series, in radio and TV commercials.
In fact, he is marking his 30th anniversary in the biz with a
Honolulu pit stop, headlining a Pro-Bowl-related concert Saturday at the Waikiki Shell. (The football game, marking its 25th anniversary, is Sunday at Aloha Stadium.)
"The '70s were a time when the talk was about peace, people loving one another and accepting each other for who they were," he said. "It was about not taking for granted, to smell the roses, to taste all flavors of the ice cream. It was about realizing you have to enjoy life, of loving one another. A celebration, really, of all the (good) work of the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s."
As for the nostalgia tag, he prefers "classic."
"My songs are real classics, designed to bring happiness to people, to feel good. That was the original idea when they were written, to make people want to sing and dance and have a good time together, and the mission hasn't changed."
The songs — the likes of "Shake Your Booty," "Get Down Tonight," "That's the Way I Like It" — may not be "art."
And they can't easily be dismissed as ear candy, either, since they keep returning and reappearing in the decades since they originally hit the charts.
"These songs simply help you forget your troubles, take a breath, smile. Good for healing."
Casey adores Hawai'i. His songwriting and performing stints year-'round enable him to work in an annual January vacation here. "For the last 20 years, I've been coming over. I was just there Jan. 4 through 14," he said.
He likes to play tourist here.
"Lay on the beach, go to parks, go to Waimea Falls," he said. "The last time, I drove to the North Shore, watched the waves and stuff. And mmm-m-m, macadamias. I love 'em. Because I come often, I now have friends in paradise. It's like coming home."
He knows the turf pretty well, too, because he's been there, done that: the bike trips on Maui, the whale-watching cruises, the Kaua'i sights, hanging out at Duke's, Hana Ranch one year.
"A lot of times, the melodies come up in my head while I'm there (in Hawai'i)," he said.
Besides the Pro Bowl concert, he will do a corporate show on Kaua'i, proving he's still in demand for gigs large and small. His shell concert will involve a cast of 15 — singers, dancers, musicians — so he's in the thick of the performance regimen.
And guess what: he loves Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's take on "Over the Rainbow." "One of my favorite songs," he said.
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'70s acts are still hot and hip
Many '70s-originated acts still are hot tickets, promoter Tom Moffatt said.
He said performers such as Earth Wind & Fire, James Taylor, Tower of Power, Elton John and The Eagles are stellar troupers today.
"But it certainly costs a lot more to put on a show now, with incredible freight bills, too," said Moffatt.
A few, with roots in the late '60s and prominence in the '70s, would also draw well, Moffatt said. His elite list includes John Fogerty (if reunited with his Creedence Clearwater Revival) and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young, depending on the vintage reassembled).
Nikki Robinson, Hawai'i events coordinator for Goldenvoice, said there are no acts — '70s or otherwise — on her radar for February.
One problem, she said, is the lack of a mid-sized venue; the 8,000-seat Blaisdell Arena, the 7,000-plus Waikiki Shell or the 2,100-seat Blaisdell Concert Hall are either too large or too small for some attractions. "A 5,000 or 6,000-capacity place would be suitable for some of the acts we book," she said.
Moffatt said he's always trolling for acts.
"Santana would do well again here," he said. "And Joni Mitchell. Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder (separately) would draw. The Beach Boys, too."
He said The Who is touring, but tickets would have to be a lofty $125 if booked here for a single night, and while Cher has performed here with Sonny, she's never staged her solo act here.
"Of course, Madonna would be wonderful, too, and Tina (Turner), if you can get her out of retirement. The primo act, of course, would be Bette Midler. We've asked her people over and over. She just doesn't want to work here (her hometown)."
• • •
Good day, Sunshine ...
Real name: Harry Wayne Casey (hence, KC)
Age: 53 (birthday Jan. 31)
Music: The Sunshine Band was formed in 1973.
Songwriting partner: Richard Finch
Grammy awards: "Where Is the Love?," 1976 best R&B song (recorded by Betty Wright); album of the year and producer of the year, 1978, for his work on the "Saturday Night Live" soundtrack
Other laurels: Best R&B artist, 1975, at the American Music Awards; earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2002
They're playing his songs: Commercials that used KC and the Sunshine Band hits include those for General Motors, Burger King, Nestle's Toll House Cookies, K Mart, Old Navy and Nick at Night.
They're using his songs: More than 75 films have tapped the Sunshine sound, including "Forrest Gump" ("Get Down Tonight"), "Boogie Nights" ("Boogie Shoes"), "Saturday Night Fever" ("Boogie Shoes"), "Boys Don't Cry" ("Rock Your Baby"), "Rush Hour" ("Get Down Tonight"), "Carlito's Way" ("That's the Way (I Like It))," "Rock Your Baby" ("Shake Your Booty,"), "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (parody lyrics interpolating "That's the Way (I Like It)," "Get Down Tonight" and "Shake Your Booty").
