 "Photo: Courtesy of Alicia Acevedo")
A Hawaiian man with a ukulele amazed his audience this Super Bowl Sunday at the COS Theater.
Jake Shimabukuro performed at 8 pm on Sunday, February 7th to a crowd of approximately 300. Eager new fans, longtime YouTube subscribers, and oblivious extra credit-seeking high school students alike came together in celebration of what is widely known as a gimmick instrument.
“In Hawai’i, the ukulele is equivalent to the flutophone or a recorder” Shimabukuro said in-between songs.
Shimabukuro, 33, first gained fame after uploading his ukulele version of George Harrison’s “My Guitar Gently Weeps” on YouTube in 2004. His career and new-found fame has catapulted him into stardom. Shimabukuro recently toured with Western music legend Jimmy Buffett and in December 2009 was invited across the pond to perform a duet with Bette Midler for the Queen of England.
“Going to England to play for The Queen with Bette Midler was the most amazing experience” said Shimabukuro, “I had never been to England before and for this to be my first trip was unbelievable.”
Shimabukuro’s seamless blend of strumming and lightning fast finger-plucking, in addition to his infectious enthusiasm, draws audiences in while his gifted storytelling holds their attention. He ignites an explosive energy all while keeping masterful watch over the dynamics of his songs and his set.
From the first note of the opening arrangement, “The Star Spangled Banner,” Shimabukuro exuded an excitement for music that often climaxed in a shout of joy after the completion of a difficult portion of a song. His heavy soled boots were not just a fashion statement. Their potential as musical instruments was maximized as he slid around the stage, occasionally letting one leap into the air and then crash down onto the wooden surface in perfect rhythm.
The song that made him famous was flawlessly performed with an authenticity incredible for a man who, according to his website, played well over 100 dates last year.
Concert promoter Aaron Gomes of Sound N Vision Foundation has booked Shimabukuro three times in Visalia.
“[Jake’s] management reached out to SNV Foundation a couple years ago and asked me to take a chance on a guy who plays the ukulele” Gomes said. “At first I was skeptical, but then I saw how amazing [he is] live.”
Since his first date at Howie and Sons Pizza Parlor, Shimabukuro has formed a bond with SNV Foundation and Aaron Gomes.
“We kind of get in on the grassroots level” Gomes said. “Average ticket prices on a sliding scale for this tour are 35 to 55 dollars. Tickets for [the Visalia] date are 15 dollars. That’s a tip of the hat to SNV Foundation from Jake. He’s taking a smaller cut to be here.”
Gomes said that of all the people and bands Sound N Vision Foundation has worked with, Jake, above all others, will stay after the show to sign autographs, shake hands, take pictures, and talk to his fans. “Jake makes sure that every fan gets what they need”
Shimabukuro ended his set at the COS Theater with his version of “Bohemian Rhapsody” by rock band Queen. Coming from a man who began honing his craft in an upstairs music shop in Honolulu to becoming an international star by means of YouTube, the opening lyrics of the song could be no more fitting:
“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?”
For Jake Shimabukuro, this is the real life, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
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