The Old Town Temecula Community Theater will be hosting a concert on May 26, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. Kaleo Phillips will be performing as a tribute for William Kahaiali’i, who is also known as Willie K. Willie K earned a Grammy nomination for Best Hawaiian Music Album. He also won multiple Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts awards. Not only was Willie K a Hawaiian musician, but he was a multifaceted performer who performed many genres of music including the blues, jazz, country, rock, reggae, and opera. According to a post shared on Willie K’s official Instagram profile in 2020, “We are sad to announce that Willie K has passed away on Monday night (May 18th) in his home in Wailuku surrounded by his ohana.” The Instagram post talked about how he battled with lung cancer. The post explained, “he was hospitalized for pneumonia which caused complications with his lung cancer.” The Old Town Temecula Community Theater will be celebrating Willie K’s life and honoring his fans through this tribute concert. Willie K has previously performed at Old Town Temecula Community Theater as part of the Aloha Series. This tribute concert will be the Old Temecula Community Theater’s last Aloha Series performance of the season.

Willie K chose Phillips, his close friend, to carry on his legacy. According to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater’s website, “Kaleo was signed by Willie’s record label, Maui Tribe Records, and selected by Willie K himself, to carry on his music.” Willie K and Kaleo Phillips’ families knew each other for years and performed together in Maui, Hawaii in a town called Lahaina. According to The Maui News’ website Phillips said, “Growing up our fathers could play anything from Hawaiian and rock ‘n’ roll to country and R&B. That’s what I like to showcase when I perform live, and on my albums I do a little Hawaiian and some country and little rock as a tribute to him.” Willie K and Phillips are both multifaceted artists who have performed many genres of music. Phillips has been nominated for multiple Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts awards. And in 2021, Phillips earned an award for Contemporary Acoustic Album of the Year from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts.

Music is loved by many people all over the world. Concerts are a way to support artists and make memories with friends and family. Maximo Galvan, a fine arts lover said, “My opinion on the fine arts is that it provides a way of expression for many people in communities of all walks of life because you neither have to be rich or influential to see fine arts. Anyone can view fine arts and take pride in the local communities’ work that they have so graciously put all their time into.” Galvan expressed his appreciation for the time and effort that goes into the fine arts.

The Old Town Temecula Community Theater not only hosts tribute concerts but they also offer other types of performances including plays. Galvan said, “I recommend the local youth to go to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater because it will provide them with a place where they can have fun with their friends, learn valuable lessons through the morals of the story, and be enriched with the local experience.” People can learn more about the various events being held at the  Old Town Temecula Community Theater by visiting their website where they have a list of events available.

The concert will be an opportunity to celebrate Willie K’s life and honor his fans. This concert will also be an opportunity for people to make memories with their friends or family. Galvan said, “I believe people enjoy going to the Old Town Temecula Community Theater with friends and family because it’s a shared experience that they can all have as a community together.” Concerts are a way for everyone in the local community to make memories together and celebrate music.

Tickets are available for $40 for orchestra, $30 for parterre, and $25 balcony seating. Tickets are available for purchase on the Old Town Temecula Community Theater’s website. People can learn more about Willie K by visiting his website and visiting his two Instagram profiles @UncleWillieK and @WillieK6591. And people can learn more about Kaleo Phillips by visiting his two Instagram profiles @KaleoPhillipsMusic and @KaleoPhillips.