Willie K returns to Oahu for first time since cancer diagnosis

Maui-based entertainer Willie Kahaiali‘i will return to Oahu next week for his first performances here since being diagnosed with lung cancer in February.

Friends, family and fans of Kahaiali‘i — who performs publicly as Willie K — have raised about half of the $100,000 requested via GoFundMe to help replace lost income and pay for medical expenses; as of Wednesday afternoon, $44,755 had been raised.

Kahaiali‘i, who canceled all of his regularly scheduled gigs after learning he had small cell carcinoma lung cancer, began chemotherapy and radiation treatments last month. Longtime musical collaborator Amy Hanaiali‘i substituted for him at Blue Note Hawaii in February and again this week.

But it will be Kahaiali‘i himself on stage at the Blue Note at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Doors will open at 5 p.m., with tickets priced at $30 (bar seating) and $45 (table and booth seating). Next month, fellow local musicians Makana and special guest Lopaka Colon will fill in for Kahaiali‘i at the Blue Note at 6:30 and 9 p.m. April 24 (ticket prices are the same as Kahaiali‘i’s gig on March 27).

For the April 24 concert, Blue Note Hawaii will donate 100 percent of its ticket proceeds to Kahaiali‘i in support of his cancer battle.

Along with the Blue Note shows, a fundraiser was held last weekend in Hilo at the Grand Naniloa Hotel, which is home to Willie K’s Crown Room; an additional fundraiser is scheduled for April 21 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s A&B Amphitheater. Kahaiali‘i’s website also lists upcoming Maui appearances at Mulligan’s on the Blue on March 28 and the King Kamehameha Golf Club on March 29. He will also take part in a “Concert for Our Lives” at the MACC on Saturday along with Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson, Landon McNamara, Steven Tyler, Mick Fleetwood, Kris Kristofferson and Lily Meola; music starts at 5:30 p.m.

Kahaiali‘i declined a request for comment this week.