12-18-2011, 06:41 AM
Amy Hanaialii Gilliom is my favorite living Hawaiian vocalist. I love Hawaiian music and she is one of the reasons I do. I first heard her on one of my visits to the island on KAPA radio. It may have been Hale'iwa Hula or one of the other songs she delivers with power, passion and joy in the Hawaiian language, spoken by her grandmother (who did not speak English).
I have been trying to catch Amy since the first moment I heard her, but we were never in the same place at the same time. Until last night. Knowing my adulation for her, some friends got a ticket for me and I went to the beautiful Palace Theatre for the first time to see Amy.
Her 3 piece band, including slack guitar great Jeff Peterson, emerged first and I wondered to myself how she could possibly recreate the big sound of her records with such a small band. The answer became clear when she stepped out a few moments later, to great applause: She could recreate that big sound WITHOUT a band at all. Her voice has a range and power that comes across even better live than on recording. She did my favorites, and even managed to out Etta James Etta James on "At Last". Eat your heart out Beyonce. Amy's version had more soul -- Hawaiian soul.
It was a wonderful, enthralling performance that even included an appearance by Sonny Lim -- who wrote one of my favorite slack key compositions (Donna's Smile -- if you know that song, please, please, please teach it to me). She closed with a tribute to the rain aumakua. You could hear the rain outside the Palace as she sang. And it call came together for me. And I began to feel like I might be home at last.
After the show, we made our way to the crowded lobby and my friends went to freshen up. The crowd thinned out pretty quickly and I was all alone at the main door leading from the theatre to the lobby. I was intent on a picture of the Palace's exterior renovation when a tall, striking Hawaiian man came through the door with a woman on his arm. I
glanced at him for a millisecond and he at me, and returned my gaze to the picture, managing somehow, I realized a few moments later, not to see the beautiful Statue of Liberty-sized Hawaiian performer on the man's arm.
It was Amy. And when she emerged into the lobby of the theatre after the performance I had been waiting to see for years, the first person she saw was me --one of her biggest fans. And I ignored her. She was still aglow from her performance and had enough charisma to light the full length of the Kazimura Cave, but somehow I managed to look right through her.
I didn't realize it was her until a few moments later, when she was swarmed by little hostess aunties who escorted her to the table where she signed CD's. The moment was lost for me, though. I have this quirk where if I completely enthralled with you, I may not be able to utter a word when I see you. And so my friends re-emerged into the lobby and we left the theatre.
Amy, thank you for visiting Hilo and for making the evening everything I hoped for and more. Your contribution to Hawaiian music is tremendous. Your beautiful spirit is reflected in everything you do, including your work on behalf of No H8, and other organizations.
You are a tremendous talent and I am so glad I got the chance to see you and that it happened on the occasion of my homecoming. And that's what I was thinking as I stared silently off into space. Mahalo nui for coming to Hilo.
I have been trying to catch Amy since the first moment I heard her, but we were never in the same place at the same time. Until last night. Knowing my adulation for her, some friends got a ticket for me and I went to the beautiful Palace Theatre for the first time to see Amy.
Her 3 piece band, including slack guitar great Jeff Peterson, emerged first and I wondered to myself how she could possibly recreate the big sound of her records with such a small band. The answer became clear when she stepped out a few moments later, to great applause: She could recreate that big sound WITHOUT a band at all. Her voice has a range and power that comes across even better live than on recording. She did my favorites, and even managed to out Etta James Etta James on "At Last". Eat your heart out Beyonce. Amy's version had more soul -- Hawaiian soul.
It was a wonderful, enthralling performance that even included an appearance by Sonny Lim -- who wrote one of my favorite slack key compositions (Donna's Smile -- if you know that song, please, please, please teach it to me). She closed with a tribute to the rain aumakua. You could hear the rain outside the Palace as she sang. And it call came together for me. And I began to feel like I might be home at last.
After the show, we made our way to the crowded lobby and my friends went to freshen up. The crowd thinned out pretty quickly and I was all alone at the main door leading from the theatre to the lobby. I was intent on a picture of the Palace's exterior renovation when a tall, striking Hawaiian man came through the door with a woman on his arm. I
glanced at him for a millisecond and he at me, and returned my gaze to the picture, managing somehow, I realized a few moments later, not to see the beautiful Statue of Liberty-sized Hawaiian performer on the man's arm.
It was Amy. And when she emerged into the lobby of the theatre after the performance I had been waiting to see for years, the first person she saw was me --one of her biggest fans. And I ignored her. She was still aglow from her performance and had enough charisma to light the full length of the Kazimura Cave, but somehow I managed to look right through her.
I didn't realize it was her until a few moments later, when she was swarmed by little hostess aunties who escorted her to the table where she signed CD's. The moment was lost for me, though. I have this quirk where if I completely enthralled with you, I may not be able to utter a word when I see you. And so my friends re-emerged into the lobby and we left the theatre.
Amy, thank you for visiting Hilo and for making the evening everything I hoped for and more. Your contribution to Hawaiian music is tremendous. Your beautiful spirit is reflected in everything you do, including your work on behalf of No H8, and other organizations.
You are a tremendous talent and I am so glad I got the chance to see you and that it happened on the occasion of my homecoming. And that's what I was thinking as I stared silently off into space. Mahalo nui for coming to Hilo.
