It's hard to imagine what it takes to keep a couple of guys going strong in the music industry for 35 years. A lot of hard work? A big PR machine to keep their names fresh in our memories? Lots of money to fuel it all?
Watching Cecilio and Kapono perform at the Waikiki Shell on August 23, 2008, one would think they were simply destined to be together and that's why it still works for them. In a world where fans are fickle, music changes with each new generation and groups disassemble and reform with new members, C&K are a constant.
I was a teenager in the 70s and grew up with their songs. While I can't remember what I ate for dinner two nights ago, I rocked out and sang along to every last one of their songs on Saturday! In a time when life is often difficult and downright scary, with a shaky economy, people who are homeless and hungry and a war which has claimed too many lives with no end in sight, an evening with C&K was a welcome break from it all. Lots of good memories of days gone by when the world was not such a formidable place. I fell in (and out of) love to C&Ks songs. I sat on the beach or cruised in the car with friends and listened to them on the radio. We didn't have CD players, Walkmans or IPods, so the only way to get your C&K fix back then was to either stay home and play a vinyl LP on the stereo or wait for a DJ to pump out their latest hit, which were by no means in short supply then. A big score for your birthday or Christmas was a C&K album!
C&K make it look like a lot of fun with very little effort. They seem to truly enjoy making music together and they express a lot of gratitude and love for their fans. The feelings were mutual! 8,000 of us showed up that night and filled the Shell. More fans were outside of the Shell, bbqing and partying right along, but for free.
Even though they will always be C&K to us, they've had successful solo careers as well over the years. There was even a joke made about the number of reunion concerts they've held. Their fans don't seem to care how many reunion concerts they put on, no matter what they call it, we'll always be grateful for the chance to attend.
Before playing the song we were all waiting for (About You), Cecilio apologized to the audience for a short supply of memorabilia available for purchase. He said they didn't want to seem "egotistical" and ordered only 2,000 pieces of merchandise. That meant only 1 in 8 of us had a chance at a prized souvenir. Could they really have underestimated our loyalty by that much?!
When the last song had been sung and the lights dimmed, all that was left to do was head back home, I felt a twinge of sadness. It had been a really fun night for me with a girlfriend of nearly 20 years. We had both looked forward to the evening and it was more than we had hoped for. Why the sadness?
This is the last concert I will attend in Hawaii. My husband, son and I are getting ready to move to Colorado and make our lives there. The cost of living in Hawaii and trying to own a home here have done us in. Born and reared in Hawaii, I never thought I'd live anywhere else, and I was completely opposed to my husband's occasional suggestions that we move to the mainland. We (or I should say *I*) finally agreed about a year ago that leaving Hawaii was the most reasonable option for us. I do look forward to not living paycheck to paycheck, and purchasing a home we want rather than just what we can afford. Still, I was faced with the finality this concert represented. I had no idea the evening would evoke such strong emotions and I felt a little heavy-hearted when I got home to my sleeping family. Alone with my thoughts, I knew leaving Hawaii is still what we must do.
My spirits were lifted yesterday however, when I saw that C&K were touring and will be playing in Denver this coming September. Then I knew ... if a little bit of Hawaii comes looking for me every now and then, what more could I ask for?
I'll miss my family, friends and the familiarity of my town. I'll miss the view of Kaneohe Bay out of my bedroom window in the early morning light when the water looks like glass. I'll miss double rainbows, malasadas and Chinaman's Hat. I'll miss a lot of things but in order for Colorado to truly work for me, I shamelessly steal a line from one of C&K's songs as a reminder: "It's been a good time together....and the best is yet to come!"
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