[Audio/Video] Ozomatli and The Wave Reunion
Jason Genegabus photos
I almost stayed home on Saturday night after watching BJ Penn get dismantled by Georges St-Pierre in Las Vegas.
Thousands of Hawaii residents flew to Sin City in hopes of witnessing history. Back home, countless others crowded around television screens when UFC 94 went on the air shortly after 5 p.m.
Less than three hours later, those Penn fans were speechless after watching his corner and the cageside physician almost simultaneously declare the fight over. I know the right decision was to stop the punishment (Penn was taken to a local hospital immediately afterward), but couldn’t help but wonder how the move would clash with Penn’s “fight-to-the-death” mentality.
Anyway. It’s a good thing I got over the local MMA superstar’s heartbreaking main event loss, because there were a number of fun parties going off around town.
I hit up two spots on Saturday: Ozomatli in concert at Aloha Tower Marketplace with special guest Chali 2na and the second Wave Waikiki Reunion at Pipeline Cafe.
Check out my pictures from the night, plus exclusive performance footage from both parties, after the jump.
I’ve seen Ozomatli in concert a few times already, since the band appears to enjoy visiting Honolulu on a pretty regular basis.
This time, the venue was outdoors at Aloha Tower Marketplace’s Events at the Tower. It’s actually a pretty nice venue to see a show, as long as the proper sound equipment is set up and the weather cooperates.
On Saturday, promoter Tom Moffatt came correct on the audio tip and it didn’t rain, which ensured a good time for all.
These guys always come with a high-energy vibe:
And I appreciated the fact that Chali 2na came out early and often to join his former bandmates (or is it current, since he’s still technically a member of the group?) on stage.
At first, he kind of just sauntered out on stage and grinned at the crowd:
With a booming, “ALOOOOOOOHAAAAAA HAWAIIIIIII,” in his trademark baritone, the crowd went nuts. He could feel the aloha, and it showed in the amount of energy he put back into his performance:
Here’s a clip of Ozomatli on stage, shot during the beginning of their set when I had access to an area next to the stage:
After hanging out for a bit with a green bottle and a smile, I made my way to Pipeline Cafe for the Wave Waikiki Reunion. Got there just in time to see one of the old Wave house bands, Missing Dave, get on stage:
Missing Dave has a new lead singer, and they play a lot more original music these days in addition to some killer covers. Seeing them play in front of a crowd that contained a lot of familiar faces made me long for the post-2 a.m. debauchery that used to take place near the corner of Ala Wai Blvd. and Kalakaua Ave.
Check out the video from Saturday’s set:
It seemed a little strange to see Creed Chameleon and The Spacifics close out the night’s live performances, since neither act had played at the Wave before it closed.
Still, the crowd was into them from the minute Creed walked out and raised a fist:
I’ve watched this guy perform quite a bit in recent years, and he continues to improve on his stage presence and delivery nearly every time I see him.
He’s also given up on smoking and drinking (at least before gigs), which also makes a huge difference. Instead of being amped and a little tipsy, dude is on point from the jump and stays focused throughout his set:
Like him or not, you need to respect this dude as one of the torch-bearers of Hawaii hip-hop in 2009:
Thanks to Jack Law and all the former Wave staffers who came together to make this party happen. It was nice to see so many old friends.
