Aegis to rock it in Hilo, Hawaii on band’s US-Canada tour

The Filipino band Aegis will be performing at the Hilo Palace Theater. CONTRIBUTED

Filipino pop-rock band Aegis will take the stage Sunday at the Hilo Palace Theater on Sunday, Aug. 27. Hilo is a town on Hawaii, commonly called the Big Island. The band will be performing in Hilo for the first time.

Aegis is celebrating its 25-year anniversary with a tour of the U.S. and Canada. It is a seven-piece band made up of family and friends with three sisters — Juliet, Mercy and Ken Sunot — serving as the lead singers.

Stella Pabico is on the keyboard, Rowena Adriano plays bass guitar, Vilma Glogiogo plays drums, and the only male member, Rey Abenoja, is on vocals and guitar.

“The band decided to come to Hilo, specifically, because they’ve been to every other island, and this will be their first time on the Big Island,” said band promoter Ramon Sumibcay.

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“Almost all Filipinos know Aegis, so this is going to be a great time for the Filipino community of Hilo.”

Aegis has released five albums through Alpha Records, with one being a cover album with songs like “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Help!” Most of their original songs are written and performed in Filipino.

“During the show, they will sing cover songs and original songs that span many different genres, and they will bring the house down,” Sumibcay said. “It’s going to be a night full of singing with a group you may have only seen online. It’ll be an amazing experience.”

Aegis is playing in the Philippines before heading to Honolulu on Friday and Hilo on Sunday. They will then make their way through Canada and the U.S. for their tour.

Sam Hashimoto and Hilo’s own Kristian Lei will be the guest performers playing before and possibly during the show.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hashimoto is a singer and songwriter now living in Manila full time. He has started to carve his niche as a professional singer in the Philippines.

Lei is a Filipino, Hilo-born pop artist who has had notable international theater credits and has brought her music around the world.

“It’s so important to bring world music to local stages, especially when there is such a big Filipino population here,” Sumibcay said. “I think it’s going to be a great night for many people to come together and hear their native language through awesome music.”

The event begin at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Palace Theater in downtown Hilo. Tickets are $85 for general admission and $110 for VIP.

Tickets are available at the Palace box office and online at hilopalace.org.

Email Kelsey Walling at [email protected].