The One You Must Not Miss
Fall/Winter 2010 / Rebecca Pike / Where Oahu
True story: at the valet after seeing return to Waikiki, a fellow guest said, “Makana is the best guitar player i’ve ever seen live, including eric clapton.” —rebecca pike
He has incredible prowess, it’s true. There’s not much he can’t do with his ten upper digits, and in one of many moments of levity throughout the evening, he’ll also use his elbows, wrists, and legs—yes, legs—to play “Da Poi Song,” a local favorite. His musical gifts do not end there; Makana sings, too. He warbles stirring renditions of classics such as Andy Cummings’ “Magic of Waikiki” and, delightfully, Yaz’s “Only You.” (The 80s are considered “classic” now, right?)
Many have tried to pull off this kind of Hawaiian dinner show before, but the talk of the town is that the new, aptly named Return to Waikiki heralds the return of quality entertainment to Waikiki. Oldtimers savor the nostalgia; newcomers swoon with the romance.
Many special touches complement the dinner: servers in crisp white linen uniforms; classic kukui nut lei draped on the men and fresh plumeria blossoms for the women. Tri-color Hawaiian sea salt appears beside the roasted suckling pig, and teriyaki chicken and fish are skillfully prepared. “These people know food,” confirms Makana. “It is so ono.”
Fans of the old-time radio show “Hawaii Calls,” Makana and steel guitarist Buck Giles frame the initial performances within a marvelously ad-libbed vaudevillian flashback. Mock radio personalities introduce hits from multiple eras of Hawaiian music. “You feel that you are
in Hawaii,” says Makana. “You’re in old-time Waikiki, and here’s a variety show, and you just walked from your hotel room.”
While the show changes nightly, guitarist Lono Kaumeheiwa is a constant and magnificent presence. “He and I have been playing together for a decade and a half. ... He brings a lot of energy to the stage.” says Makana. “[Percussionist] Lopaka [Colon] and Lono and I just click. ... We forget we’re working. We love each other; we challenge each other on stage.”
The excitement of dance is showcased as well. On most nights, legendary Auntie Florence Iwalani Koanui is first impossibly graceful and then riotously funny doing, respectively, a beautiful auana (modern) and a raunchy “naughty” hula. Makana explains this cheeky practice: “We love to share the kaona, the hidden meanings [behind Hawaiian lyrics]. It’s pretty outrageous,” he laughs.
The International Market Place is an unlikely setting for a luau of this caliber, and yet it’s the most appropriate place in the world. The open-air bazaar is a Waikiki institution, a rabbit’s warren of souvenirs, food smells and banyan trees. Makana likens it not to “old Waikiki,” per se, but an older Waikiki, before much of it was rebuilt. The outdoor space is where all of the legendary acts played in their day. It’s an honor, he says, to join those ranks, “and very surreal. It still has that feeling it did decades ago. You can get lost walking around in here.”
Nobody stays lost for too long, though. Entering the venue, you’ll know you’ve found it: the right night, the right place, and at just the right hour—the right stuff. Every time.