The ukulele isn't just for school children anymore. Yes, it's small, and yes, it's easy to learn. But after hearing Jake Shimabukuro play "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the uke, it's hard to dismiss the instrument. It might be little and it might be cute, but it's also a serious - and potentially chill-producing.

"In Hawaii, everyone grew up playing the ukulele," Shimabukuro says in an interview with the Associated Press. "It was just a very simple, relaxing instrument to play. Then when I was a teenager, I got turned on to some of the rock guys. I remember seeing some concert footage of a Van Halen show. ... I remember thinking to myself, ‘That's what a ukulele concert should be like.'"

On Shimabukuro's album, Peace Love and Ukulele - which has original songs along with covers like "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Shimabukuro proves the ukulele can do almost anything.

His performance in Tacoma Friday at the Rialto Theater includes a free pre-show lecture.

[Rialto Theater, free pre-show lecture 6 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m., sold out, 310 S. Ninth St., Tacoma, 253.591.5890]