FRIDAY, SATURDAY

Power rock, bagpipes, kilts and leather merge with Celtica

In the television sitcom "Friends," Ross wanted to play Kool and the Gang’s "Celebration" on the bagpipes.

You can catch a bit of that vibe, with a lot more musicianship, when Celtica: Pipes Rock! comes to Honolulu for two performances at local clubs. The group combines the traditional sound of bagpipes and power-rock guitars and drums in a high-energy, crowd-pleasing presentation, capped by a kilt-and-leather fashion statement.

The group features bagpipers Duncan Knight, who graduated with honors in music from Edinburgh Napier University and has performed for the queen of England, and Jane Espie, who started playing at age 8 and began experimenting with alternative styles at age 18. Espie played with the group "Saor Patrol," which also blended rock music with bagpipes.

Knight and Espie are joined by American bassist Harald Weinkum, Austrian percussionist Matthias Katzmair and Austrian guitarist Gajus Stappen. Celtica has been together since 2009. The band’s third album, "Legends and Visions," netted an eight-month tour of the U.S., with music ranging from covers like "Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Highway to Hell" to versions of film scores.

Where: Today at The Irish Rose Saloon, 478 Ena Road; Saturday at Anna O’Briens, 2440 S. Beretania St.

When: 9 p.m. both nights

Cost: $15-$20

Info: holdmyticket.com

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

Blue Angels to soar in Kaneohe air show

The skies over Kaneohe Bay will be filled with spectacular flights of fancy this weekend as Marine Corps Base Hawaii hosts the 2015 Kaneohe Bay Airshow.

The Blue Angels, also known as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, will highlight the show with screaming daredevil stunts, but there will be plenty of quieter acts to thrill the pilot wannabes in all of us, including aerobatics experts Jacquie B, Hank Bruckner, Rob Holland and biplane pilot Mike Wiskus. Also dropping in on the fun will be the Leap Frogs, a parachute team composed of U.S. Navy SEALs, and the Flying Leathernecks, a skydiving group led by Pearl Harbor Visitor Center director John Bates.

Two WWII-era fighter planes will be on hand, including a Grumman TBM Avenger used in Okinawa and briefly stationed at Barbers Point after the war.

There will be other attractions on the ground, including E.K. Fernandez carnival rides, food from Taste of Hawaii and demonstrations by the Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Paratroopers, riflemen and aviators from the team will demonstrate a combined offensive, culminating in a simulation of bombing runs and a wall of fire.

Where: MCBH, Kaneohe

When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Cost: Admission free. Special seating available for flight shows, $12-$95.

Info: Kaneohebayairshow.com or 254-7563, ext. 223

Note: Large bags, backpacks, ice chests and coolers are not permitted. Visitors with small bags, such as purses, fanny packs and diaper bags, must go through a separate line to be inspected.

SUNDAY

7 contestants to vamp it up for contest title

Sink your teeth into gothic beauty this week with the Miss Vamp Hawaii Beauty Pageant, which features entertainer Aurelio Voltaire.

Miss Vamp Hawaii, now in its fifth year, helps kick off the Halloween season with a pageant devoted to the occult, the bizarre and the bold. Seven contestants are vying for the crown, competing in traditional pageant events like a Q&A (though the questions usually can’t be answered with "world peace").

"One of the questions we had a couple of years ago was, ‘What do you think is buried beneath the Hawaii Theatre?’" said organizer DJ Nocturna. "A lot of them answered very creatively, because if you look through the history of Chinatown, there’s tunnels down there."

The highlight is a moon-bathing competition. "Vampires don’t go in the sun," Nocturna said. "They’re pretty much into nighttime. … Rather than a bathing suit competition, it’s a lingerie competition."

Nocturna has invited Aurelio Voltaire, an entertainer in the gothic, steampunk and dark cabaret genres, to perform. His tunes include songs like "Oh My Goth," and "Sacrifice."

"He’s all about bats, vampires and that kind of thing," Nocturna said.

The audience is encouraged to come in costume.

Where: Hawaii Theatre

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $25-$45

Info: hawaiitheatre.com or 528-0506

SUNDAY

The hip-hop trio’s boldness got some songs banned in South Korea

South Korean hip-hop trio Epik High is adamant about not being a K-Pop group. The three members, known as Tablo, Mithra and DJ Tukutz, have enough edge to their lyrics that several of their songs, including one from their current album, "Shoebox," have been deemed "inappropriate for broadcast" in Korea.

Epik High makes its Hawaii concert debut on Sunday as the final stop on an extensive North American tour. The singers answered some questions via email between shows last weekend.

Question: There’s a song on "Shoebox" titled "Eyes Nose Lips" that you do entirely in English. Why?

TABLO: We express ourselves with whatever language seems right for the song. For example, I recently did a song called ‘Hood’ with Joey Bada$$ and a talented producer named Code Kunst, and in the song I talk about Seoul. Counterintuitively, I used English. It felt right, though, because I wanted to introduce the beautiful city to Joey and English-speaking fans.

Q: Some of your songs have been considered "inappropriate for broadcast" in Korea. Has that been a problem with the songs on "Shoebox?"

MITHRA: Many of the songs can’t be played on radio or performed on TV. But we understand.

Q: Did the haters get the message when you released the song "Born Hater" on "Shoebox" — or are they still being haters?

TUKUTZ: I think they loved it.

MITHRA: We turned many of them into Born Lovers.

TABLO: It’s a waste of time to worry about haters when we can use that time to give back to the many people who give us love.

Q: What’s next for Epik High?

TABLO: Our new label, HIGHGRND, is releasing a new single on the 21st of this month.

TUKUTZ: Epik High is gearing up for something substantial in 2016.

MITHRA: We’re also still touring the world. So there is no "next."

TABLO: To us, "next" is "now."

Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Cost: $65-$100; "meet-and-greet" access is $100 more

Info: ticketmaster.com or 866-448-7849