Kaleo to perform in Israel for first time as part of their ‘10 Years of Unforgettable Music’ tour

The Icelandic band Kaleo will play Raanana Amphipark on June 22, 2023. Tickets are available from Eventim starting at NIS 294. This is the band’s first visit to Israel, as part of their “10 Years of Unforgettable Music” tour.

Icelandic Sensation: Kaleo’s Meteoric Rise

Hailing from the land of fire and ice, Icelandic rock band Kaleo has taken the international music scene by storm. Formed in 2012, the quartet features Jökull Júlíusson on vocals, Þorleifur Gaukur Davíðsson on guitar, Rubin Pollock on bass, and Davíð Antonsson on drums. With a unique blend of folk, blues, and rock influences, Kaleo has managed to captivate audiences across the globe through their soul-stirring melodies and powerful performances.

A/B: The Turning Point

Kaleo’s breakthrough came in 2016 with their debut international album, “A/B”. Featuring the hit singles “Way Down We Go” and “All the Pretty Girls,” the album quickly gained traction and catapulted the band into the spotlight. “A/B” showcased Kaleo’s musical versatility, with tracks ranging from haunting ballads to bluesy rock anthems. The album’s success led to numerous accolades, including an Icelandic Music Award for Best Album and a US Billboard Chart appearance.

Kaleo’s Impact on the Global Stage

Since their international debut, Kaleo has continued to make waves in the music industry. They’ve performed on the stages of renowned festivals such as Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Lollapalooza, and have also been featured on popular TV shows and movie soundtracks. The band’s distinctive sound and evocative lyrics have resonated with listeners and critics alike, earning them a dedicated fanbase and a growing list of achievements.

The Aristocrats, a progressive rock/fusion supergroup comprised of guitarist Guthrie Govan, bassist Bryan Beller, and drummer Marco Minnemann, will perform in Reading 3 in Tel Aviv on June 26.

This will be the band’s fifth trip to Israel, having played here previously in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. The promoter, RK Promotions, just announced that the two Laney cabinets Govan will use in the show will be available for purchase (at just under NIS 2,000) to be collected from Govan after the performance.

The Aristocrats’ music has been described as “impossible to categorize” because it incorporates so many different musical styles and influences. The band calls their unique genre “woozy prog-pop.” While their music may be challenging to play, The Aristocrats try to keep their songs melodic and accessible to listeners not familiar with progressive rock. They are known for balancing technical skill with musicality.

Govan has been called, “Rock’s scariest guitarist” by Rick Beato. He is known for his virtuosic guitar playing and has collaborated with a variety of artists, including Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer. He has also worked with Asia, GPS, the Young Punx and the Fellowship.

Beller just got off tour with Joe Satriani on June 5th and almost immediately headed back out with the Aristocrats. He has also played with Steve Vai, Mike Keneally and Dethklok, among others.

Minnemann is a versatile drummer who has played with numerous artists, including Steven Wilson, Terry Bozzio, Adrian Belew, Joe Satriani, and The Mute Gods. A decade ago, he formed LMR, named for the initials of the members Tony Levin, Marco Minnemann and Jordan Rudess.

The Aristocrats formed in 2011 and have released several albums, including “The Aristocrats” (2011), “Culture Clash” (2013), “Tres Caballeros” (2015), and “You Know What…?” (2019). Their music is characterized by complex rhythms, intricate melodies, and virtuosic instrumental performances. The band has been praised for its technical proficiency, humor, and improvisational skills.

Some of The Aristocrats’ most popular songs are:

• Bad Asteroid – This is one of their signature songs, featuring odd time signatures, blistering solos, and a very catchy melody. It’s considered a classic among their fans.
• Sweaty Knockers – A fun, upbeat track with a funky groove and witty title. It really showcases their musical chemistry and sense of humor.
• The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde – A beautiful, melodic tune that demonstrates their ability to write softer, more emotive music in addition to their usual high-energy rock songs.
• Boing!…I’m In The Back – One of their most playful and bizarre songs with strange noises, cartoonish sounds effects, and an overall zany vibe. The title gives you an idea of their quirky humor and anything-goes approach.
• Blues F***ers – A bluesy hard rock track with attitude. As the title suggests, it’s one of their heavier and more aggressive songs with plenty of distortion and attitude. The contrast shows their range between lighthearted and abrasive. This is often played as an encore at live shows.

The Venue

Reading 3 is a concert venue that was established in 2002 in the Tel Aviv port area. The address is Hatarucha 3, North Port, Tel Aviv. There is usually parking available nearby.

See a list of other upcoming concerts in Israel

Tickets for Bruno Mars’s first Israel concert, on October 4, 2023, sold out in under two hours. As a result, Live Nation announced a second concert, on Saturday, October 7. But that one also sold out — before the tickets officially went on sale.

Both concerts will be held in Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon, which holds over 60,000 people.

Bruno Mars is a singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was born on October 8, 1985, in Honolulu, Hawaii, and his birth name is Peter Gene Hernandez. Bruno Mars is of Filipino descent and was raised in a musical family. He began performing at a young age and quickly gained recognition for his talent.

Mars has released several successful albums over the course of his career, including “Doo-Wops & Hooligans,” “Unorthodox Jukebox,” and “24K Magic.” He has won multiple Grammy Awards for his music, which is known for its blend of pop, funk, R&B, and soul.

Some of Bruno Mars’ most popular songs include “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Uptown Funk,” and “That’s What I Like.” He has also collaborated with a number of other artists, including Mark Ronson, Cardi B, and Beyoncé.

In addition to his music career, Bruno Mars has also appeared in films and television shows, including “Honeymoon in Vegas,” “Rio 2,” and “Saturday Night Live.” He is considered one of the most successful and influential artists of his generation.

Letz Zep is recognized as the top Led Zeppelin tribute band in the world. Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant attended one of their gigs in London and told Q Magazine, “I walked in, I saw me” and that “it’s like watching myself on stage.”
The band covers the entire Led Zeppelin back catalog, including such classics as “Kashmir,” “Whole Lotta Love” and of course “Stairway to Heaven.”
Ticketmaster described the band as “The Most Popular” and “The Most Highly Rated” Led Zeppelin tribute band around.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page invited the members of Letz Zep to the official launches of the “Mothership” CD and “The Song Remains the Same” DVD.
Kerrang! Magazine described Letz Zep as “Better than a Led Zeppelin reunion.” The band received the “Best Tribute Band” award at the National Tribute Music Awards. They were featured in numerous magazines and television shows, including BBC’s “The Culture Show” and “Classic Rock.”
Letz Zep is Billy Kulke on vocals, Andy Gray on guitar, Jack Lonergan on bass and keyboards and Pete Tulloch on drums.
The band is to perform in Tel Aviv’s Barby club on February 28, 2023. Tickets cost NIS2199 and are available from Raven Music.

A few months ago, Dream Theater played to 100,000 fans at Rock in Rio. On Saturday night in Tel Aviv they played to fewer than a tenth of that number. But what the fans lacked in quantity they more than made up for in quality. People were wearing t-shirts running the gamut of Dream Theater’s previous four trips to Israel.

When vocalist James LaBrie addressed the crowd, it felt almost like a family reunion. “It is so nice to be back,” he said. “How long has it been? Four years? But now we’re back together. It is so nice to be back together.”

The unspoken message throughout the evening was that we’re all back together, and Dream Theater has a new album, despite COVID-19 (or perhaps because of the pandemic). A year ago, it would have been unthinkable to have thousands of people crammed together into Hangar 11 for a concert. And without the pandemic, Dream Theater would have continued touring their previous album, and would not have written and recorded “A View from the Top of the World.”

The concert kicked off with the band’s Emmy-winning song, “The Alien.” The song as a 17/8 time signature, and guitarist John Petrucci said in his award acceptance speech that it was impossible to dance to, but that did not deter a few young men standing behind me from stomping around (and crashing into quite a few others around them). An almost 10-minute song is an ambitious way to start a show, but that is what this crowd was here for.

Each song was accompanied by an epic video presentation, shown on the giant screen behind the band. This gave the impression that they were playing on alien landscapes, or above a hot air balloon, or in the depths of the sea.

The band launched immediately into “Six O’Clock” accompanied to a backdrop of clocks — most, but not all, going clockwise. Then came the live debut of “Sleeping Giant” off the new album, followed by “Bridges in the Sky.”

They played “Caught in a Web for the first time since 2015, accompanied by images of crawling spiders and webs (not ideal for anyone in the audience suffering from arachnophobia).

They performed four of the seven songs off the new album, including “Answering the Call,” followed by “Solitary Shell,” which they haven’t played live since 2010. Digging even deeper into their back catalog, they brought out two songs that haven’t been on stage since 2006, “About to Crash” and “Losing Time/Grand Finale.”

Finally, they got to a song that everyone knew and could sing along with — “Pull Me Under.” The lyrics seemed very poignant for a band and audience recovering from the trauma of lockdowns:

This world is spinning around me
This world is spinning without me and
Every day sends future to past
Every breath leaves me one less to my last
…
Pull me under
Pull me under
Pull me under, I’m not afraid
All that I feel is honor and spite
All I can do is to set it right

As LaBrie said, “Music is magic because it brings everyone together.”

Finally, they ended the set with the epic, 20-minute “A View From the Top of the World” — the final song on the new album.

After leaving the stage, they then came back for a 20-minute encore with “The Count of Tuscany.”

Almost two and a half hours of show, 12 songs, great show.