HONOLULU -- Thousands turned out to support candidate for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, with just three and a half weeks before the crucial democratic primary.

Abercrombie’s longtime friend and country singer-songwriter Willie Nelson headlined what the campaign called a Summer Jam fundraiser, which also included local artist Willie K. and actress Kelly Hu.

While a stream of supporters sign waved outside, Nelson thrilled Abercrombie and his supporters inside the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.

“We’re old friends and I’ve known him forever. And I know he’ll do a good job,” Nelson said backstage, before his performance.

“I’m just glad to see all these folks getting together, supporting a good man for a good cause. It’s America in action and I’m enjoying it all,” said Nelson.

Nelson has lived on Maui for 35 years, but admits he is registered to vote in Texas and not in Hawaii.

Abercrombie joked about their earlier years. “When we first got together, when Kris Kristofferson and Willie were here some years ago, Kris came up and said, ‘Willie, he looks more like you than you do!,'" Abercrombie quipped.

Among the supporters who attended the fundraiser bash was former congressional candidate Ed Case, who endorsed Abercrombie for governor on Saturday. In doing so, Case called Abercrombie’s Democratic rival, Mufi Hannemann, “the most dangerous politician in a generation.”

“It’s my opinion. I’ve worked closely with him and the other candidates. It’s what I believe. And I think it’s time for people to say what they believe. This is a very crucial set of elections,” Case said.

On Tuesday, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D) issued a statement saying, “Whether from the Hannemann or Abercrombie campaigns, I have read or heard statements and comments, attributed to both sides, that walk a very fine line between ‘fair’ and ‘foul'.

Inouye continued, “It is one thing to endorse a candidate, it is quite another to tear down and gut the opposition by engaging in character assassination,” Inouye said.

Inouye asked all candidates to “keep it clean”.

Abercrombie’s camp issued a statement that said, “We agree with Senator Inouye that the Hannemann mailer ‘Compare and Decide’ was not ‘fair game’ and has no place in Hawaii politics. We do believe that this election should be about ideas and the strength of our campaign’s organization, as Senator Inouye noted. We made it a point to focus our campaign around issues of leadership and policy, and we do not engage in personal attacks.”

Ambercrombie’s statement also said, “Ed Case is an independent individual and we do not control what he says. Ed Case’s decision and announcement to endorse Neil were done by Ed on his terms with no input or coordination with our campaign.”

Hannemann’s campaign also issued a statement that read, “We appreciate the wise words of our senior senator and agree fully with him. Our campaign looks forward to continuing to focus on the issues that are important to the people of our state.”

But on Tuesday night, Abercrombie’s campaign was not focused on the controversy. Instead, it celebrated the throngs of people who showed up to support Abercrombie and see his friend, Willie Nelson.