Greece’s pop ‘god’ Panos Kiamos kicks off U.S. tour

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Greek pop star Panos Kiamos is on his first U.S. tour, which includes a stop at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind.

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:15AM

Greek music sensation Panos Kiamos has never stepped foot in Chicago. Heck, he has never stepped foot in the United States. So, as he gets ready to embark on his very first North American tour, his wishes once he gets to “the Windy City” are rather simple.

“I want to see your NBA… Chicago Bulls right?” Panos said from his dressing room before a concert at the tony Poseidonio Venue in Glyfada, Athens, Greece. “Someone also got us hockey tickets to see the Blackhawks. People tell me that Chicago is one of the nicest, most beautiful cities in North America, and I can t wait to see everything.”

Of course, plans for his North American tour didn’t come to fruition based solely on his love of sports. Kiamos, who has reached somewhat of a Greek god status in his native land (where he’s also been called the Greek Enrique Iglesias), says that this tour gives him the chance to thank the Greek people in North America for their support of his music career that took off in 1994, when he scrapped plans to go to medical school in favor of learning to play the guitar.

“Many people who live in North America come to Greece for the summer, and when they see me, they always say ‘Panos, we are waiting for you to come to America,’” explained Kiamos, who will play The Venue at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, on Jan. 21. “My fans there have always been so warm and so happy for my success.”

Granted, chances are that a majority of people in the states have never heard of his name, let alone his music. The 36-year-old is known to effortlessly combine traditional Greek songs and dances with modern pop music, a feat that has made him wildly popular with audiences of all ages. As easy as he can sing a ballad of heartbreak and anguish for a broken romance, he can just as easily turn it up with up tempo hits that have been known to get people out of their seats and dancing in the aisles.

Panos laid down his musical roots soon after high school, singing background vocals in his hometown of Athens, Greece, before hitting the Greek music charts in 1999 with his first big hit “Not Only.” Through the years, Kiamos has toured Greece, Cyprus and Germany, racked up a number of gold records, and attracted quite a loyal fan following, including actor Ashton Kutcher, who partied with Kiamos over the New Year’s Eve holiday.

“I couldn’t believe he came into the club,” recalled Kiamos. “We talked for awhile, and he was very friendly. Here, we throw flowers when we are having a nice time, and (Kutcher) was throwing flowers with everyone else, so I know he liked the music.”

So, are flowers going to be thrown in Hammond?

“I don’t think they do that in North America, do they?” laughed Kiamos. “I do promise though that I will sing every song with all of my soul, and my old and new fans will want to get up and dance.”

Tricia Despres is a local free-lance writer.