Allen Stone’s Blue Eyed Soul Arrives To The Republik
Allen Stone is from the small town of Chewela, in Eastern Washington, and began his singing career when he was just a toddler performing at church. At eighteen, Stone moved to Spokane and finally to Seattle to pursue his musical aspirations. Since 2019 Stone has released five albums, toured relentlessly, and most recently was a finalist in the TV show American Song Contest. Throughout the years, Stone has proven the old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” With his long curly blonde hair, glasses, and stylish clothes you’d assume he played in a hipster indie band. Instead, the blue-eyed singer/songwriter with the smooth silky voice, which reminds you of Stevie Wonder, is a R&B soul singer.
Stone brought his band to The Republik in Hawaii before the start of a New Zealand/Australian tour. It was no surprise that Allen’s first show sold out immediately and the second show was sold close to capacity. The music scene of Hawaii has a long history with R&B and soul music. In the seventies, the vocal harmonies of Kalapana and Cecilio and Kapono had heavy R&B influences. To this day, local audiences fill venues to witness the Lutheresque vocals of Fiji, and Josh Tatofi.
Walking through the crowd it was refreshing to witness such a diverse group of people. Every ethnicity and age group were well represented each night. The packed crowd were eager to see Allen Stone perform. Sporting a matching green jacket and pants, yellow tinted glasses, and shoulder length blonde locks, Stone and his band hit the stage each night at 9:15. You could immediately feel the energy being irradiated from the band. Throughout each performance the ecstatic crowd transferred that electricity right back onto the stage.
Although the skeleton of the set was identical, Stone sprinkled in gems from his ample discography. Highlights included his brand new song “Five Minutes,” “American Privilege,” “A Bit Of Both,” and “Naturally.” Stone also performed duets with local artists Keilana and Kamalani on respective nights. The band closed each performance with “Brown Eyed Lover,” “Taste Of You,” and “Voodoo,” a perfect trio of songs which had the entire crowd dancing and singing along. The crowd intoxicated by the band’s energy demanded more.
Both performances were encored with a guest appearance by The Green’s vocalist Caleb Keolanui on “Coming Home,” the brand new remix collaboration between The Green and Allen Stone. The pair shined while sharing vocal gymnastics. The singers traded verses, shared melodies, and generally gushed over each other’s vocal ability. It was difficult to discern who was more honored to be singing with the other. The performance concluded with one of Stone’s oldest releases, “Unaware.”
Allen Stone gave two incredible performances.He gave an arena quality performance to an audience that each night refused to leave until the house lights came up. They were both wonderful nights, ending in high spirits.
Night One
Is This Love, More To Learn, Sweaters, A Bit Of Both, Give You Blue, Consider Me, Bed I Made, Chippin Away, Back To The Swing, Five Minutes, Freeze Burn, Brown Eyed Lover, Taste Of You, Voodoo E: Coming Home, Unaware
Night Two
Misscommunicate, Sweaters, Upside, American Privilege, Give You Blue, Consider Me, Bed I Made, Naturally, Is This Love, More To Learn, Five Minutes, Brown Eyed Lover, Taste Of You, Voodoo E: Coming Home, Unaware
Find more information, tour dates and music here: https://www.allenstone.com
Allen Stone – Coming Home (Remix) with Caleb Keolanui Live in Hawaii