Keali'i Reichel believes in strength in numbers.

Take his weekend concerts at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. He'll present a cast of 50 to share his mele and hula — a reprise of his 2006 "Kukahi" production staged in February at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

He just returned last week from a Mainland trek with a cast of 30 in tow. He performed with Ledward Ka'apana and Halau O Kekuhi at Wolf Trap's Filene Center just outside Washington, D.C., and did a one-nighter with his 'ohana at Town Hall on Broadway.

Surrounding himself with Halau Ke'alaokamaile performers is often therapeutic, maintaining his comfort level while doing shows, though it presents some challenges.

"There's just no rest for the wicked," he said in an interview, a day after he returned from the Big Apple last week. "I saw (the musical) 'Wicked' for the second time in six months, and I was so taken back by it; when I knew we'd have the gang of 30 in New York, we ordered 30 seats for the show. I think the Broadway deities were shining upon us; we had orchestra seats. The halau shared in the joy of the show."

Since 1994, when his first CD, "Kawaipunahele," became an instant and lasting favorite on the Hawaiian music scene, Reichel has been on the go, sacrificing his simple lifestyle with periodic, grand concerts and tours. His repertoire continues to embrace his impeccable Hawaiian style, mixed with traditional and contemporary elements.

And modest shows are not part of his performance vocabulary.

"Was good," he said of the pair of Mainland outings in front of eager fans, including expatriates on the East Coast. "Wolf Trap was great — sold out. An honor to perform with Pua Kanahele and her halau and Ledward — our first time together.

"The venue was beautiful — all wood, like being in a giant log cabin — and it was nice to get expatriates reignited. We do these periodic shows for ourselves, where we can share our staging with hula and chants, which ultimately is empowering for us to do; but sometimes, the audience is equally important, so there's a need to do it for them.

"New York was important, too; we were there at Ground Zero on 9/11, and it was both beautiful and sad. The foremost reason to go was to pay respect to those who died, but there were so many distractions — a fire-and-brimstone preacher type, anti-war activities, a mix of all kinds of craziness — but the experience for our group was very humbling."

Reichel said that in spite of the nature of travel in this era of terrorism, he continues to corral a large entourage.

"Yes, it's stressful, but I'm already grouchy by nature," he said. "That's a kumu hula thing. But it's harder when you take a big group; you have extra gear, wait extra long ... so why not only five of us, you ask?

"Well, these trips are necessary for our halau to experience ... to grow. We've been at this for 13, 14 years now, and we always bring in new dancers, because the old-timers' knees are giving out, their backs are going and the hair is graying. But we hope audiences learn about us, appreciate our culture, and enjoy the experience as we learn."

His "Kukahi" endeavor is a Maui tradition, usually around Valentine's Day; the weekend visit to Honolulu is the first full "Kukahi" presentation since 1999. Why now?

"It's time. Long time since we've had a large crop of young dancers," Reichel said. "Two things are at play: the music thing and the halau. I try to blend the two as best as I can, and we don't go to competition anymore, so these 'Kukahi' shows are our competition, so to speak — you share, you excel."

Besides, he said, his fans deserve the effort. "They expect a certain level of experience and they want to hear certain songs. On one end of the spectrum, we have to do certain songs; on the other spectrum, we want to try and introduce new things. So putting a show together is a fine line, a balanced mix of old and new," he said.

Technology, too, has been very much a part of his modus operandi. "We're high-tech," he said. "In this show, we use three huge screens; we're all high-definition, using video technology which runs through the light system. It's pretty cool; we're excited about sharing this on O'ahu, since a lot of the equipment comes from O'ahu anyway."

If Reichel remains unjaded by success or fame, he's still coy about promotion, interviews and other related necessities of being a recording artist.

"I've accepted it all, but the irritation level still is the same," he said. "I'm meticulous in what I do, 'cause gotta be; I had a hard time dealing with publicity, because get plenty questions. To me, that's maha'oi (brazen, nervy). I often clam up; I've learned to deflect questions that are personal and shallow. By shallow, I mean questions like, 'You're the Elvis of Hawai'i,' which I find interesting, 'cause I'm not. So I don't grant interviews unless I'm comfortable (with the interviewer). That's it.

"And nothing's ever old hat with me. I still get jittery, because if anything goes out of control, I feel responsible. The people won't remember the guy who didn't make the video go, they'll remember me. Once it becomes old hat, when you don't give a rip, it means you don't care."

He still gets butterflies, too, moments before getting on stage. "Oh, I pace; I wring my hands. I feel like a caged animal, all revved up. Once I'm on stage, it's OK."

Reichel is putting the final touches on his first Christmas album, "Maluhia," which hits stores Nov. 21. After years of deliberation, he decided this was the year to do the holiday CD.

"It's a different universe for me," he said. "You just close your eyes and do it; think Christmas. Being new, I had to extend outward; I do one hymn, a couple of traditional songs, some new things by Puakea Nogelmeier (the prolific composer of many of Reichel's hit songs) and others.

"But this is the first album where I don't do a chant; it didn't fit. I enlisted some folks I trust, like Horace Dudoit (of Ho'okena), Ben Vegas and Matt Catingub, who brought me out of the darkness with new songs, vocals, arrangements. Overall, it's been a good experience. In fact, I think one of the best experiences I've had recording."

But no, a yuletide concert is not on his agenda, not this season anyway. (Confidentially, he may show up on Ho'okena's Honolulu holiday show as a guest artist.)

So what's next?

"As soon as the Christmas album is done, I start teaching at Seabury Hall (on Maui); Hawaiian studies. There will be some concerts (November gigs in Indianapolis and Redwood City, Calif., a Kaua'i fundraiser in December), and we start working on 'Kukahi' for Maui (Feb. 9 and 10)," he said. And just maybe, his 'ohana can return to Honolulu again — with his "cast of thousands."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.