Diana Ross oozed aloha Friday night in the first Hawaii performance of her 56-year career, and the greeting she got inside Blaisdell Arena must have made her wonder why she waited so long to play in the islands.

The crowd was amped from the opening notes of "I’m Coming Out" and took it to another level when they realized she was making her grand entrance from the back of the arena. Ross strutted down the aisle and onto the stage, owning the place immediately.

The superstar kept up that energy, and most members of the audience tried to match it, staying on their feet even as she opted for lesser-known songs before taking the arena to frenzy with four straight No. 1s from her days leading the Supremes: "Come See About Me," "Baby Love," "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can’t Hurry Love."

That run included some of the show’s best use of the background screen, on which images were projected throughout. The audience was treated to some great Supremes archive footage, including Ross and her band members playing table tennis.

Ross then calmed the crowd with "Touch Me in the Morning," the first solo No. 1 she would perform on this evening. By the end of her set, she had managed to hit on all her post-Supremes chart-toppers, including sharing the spotlight with backup singer Lamont Van Hook on "Endless Love," the ballad she and Lionel Richie kept atop the charts for two solid months in 1981.

Van Hook’s breathy tenor worked well in Richie’s place and Ross knew it, letting him step all the way out of the shadows for a few minutes in the spotlight.

That was a recurring theme in her Honolulu opener, as Ross — decidedly un-divalike — went to great lengths to give each member of her 12-person band (four horns, three backup singers, two percussionists plus piano, guitar and bass guitar players) some time to shine, repeatedly calling them out by name as they soloed.

Her polished crew helped out during the 105-minute show by vamping during Ross’ six costume changes, including a fun salsa while she was backstage changing during "Love Child."

Ross did not let down fans expecting glamor, with outfits running the gamut from lavishly flowing to audaciously glitzy, coordinated in nearly every color of the rainbow. She even cooled herself off with hand fans in three different colors — black, blue and hot pink, for those who must know such things — and of course sported an explosion of curls.

As much as Ross shared the spotlight with her band, she also gave to her audience. The lights were up more than at most concerts, as Ross bantered playfully, sometimes directly addressing individual fans. ("C’mon girl, let me see that!" she implored one dancing fan as she shimmied along.) The peak came during "Upside Down," when she called two audience members up to the stage individually to dance with her before sending them off with hugs.

Ross’ performance was not merely about showmanship, though. Even at age 71, she has the voice to fill any venue. Her vocals are as pure and self-assured as they were 40 to 50 years ago.

One unexpected highlight was a gorgeously torchy cover of Billie Holiday’s "Don’t Explain," from Ross’ Oscar-nominated turn as Lady Day in "Lady Sings the Blues."

Ross ended her main set with her take on Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive," which has become a staple of Ross’ live shows, also sneaking in a few lines from DJ Khaled’s 2010 hit "All I Do Is Win." (Yes, really, and yes, it worked.)

She returned to the stage quickly for an encore, telling the crowd, "I am happy to be here with you," before launching into "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)" — "wave your hands in the air, everyone!" — and a reprise of "I Will Survive."

Ross left the stage and the crowd headed for the exits, only to have to reverse course when Ross and her band came back for one final encore. Before she could even start singing "If We Hold On Together," the audience launched into a chant:

"We! Love! You!"

Ross was in tears as she responded, "I love you, too," and the endless love between this Supreme Diva and the Aloha State was sealed.