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Stars Festival 85

On August 6, 1985, an event was scheduled to take place at the Ramat Gan Stadium. It was supposed to be a defining moment in the history of Israeli music – “Stars Festival 85.” Two consecutive evenings, with huge names in the history of music from around the world, a huge stage, a grandiose production, and an audience of tens of thousands. The promise was unprecedented. The result – one of the most embarrassing moments in the history of Israeli culture.


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Behind the festival were Gabi Neubauer, owner of the Haifa record store "Gabi Records", and his partner Yaakov Salem, who specifically founded the "Gabi Corporation" company to produce the grandiose event, the first of its kind in Israel. On paper – everything looked shiny and promising. A "Live Aid"-style show held a few weeks earlier: Joe Cocker, "Marillion", Al Stewart, Joan Jett, "Sweet", Eric Burdon, Alvin Lee, David Knopfler, Billy Cobham, Peter Green, Sally Oldfield, Al DiMioula – all were announced as bands and artists who would participate in the first international festival of its kind in Israel.


The festival was presented to the public as the largest musical event ever held in Israel. The production boasted insane figures for the time: 150 artists, 80 tons of equipment, 14 performances, a huge stage, 50,000 spectators a day – a vision of the US and Western Europe in the heart of the Middle East.


The intentions were good, even the late Corinne Allal recorded "Song of Fun" to be used as the anthem for the celebrated festival...



But what actually happened was far from the vision.


The festival was planned to take place over two full days – August 6 and 7, 1985 – with 14 performances, which would accommodate an audience of 50,000 people per day. Ticket price: 15,000 old shekels. But plans are one thing, reality is another. The sale failed miserably – less than 12,000 tickets were sold. The public, for the most part, simply did not believe that the stars would actually come. And rightly so: Joe Cocker, Joan Jett, Al Stewart, Eric Burdon, "Sweet" – all canceled their arrival. Some at the last minute, some did not book flights at all. Cocker's cancellation announcement was published only in the newspaper "Al Hamishmar", and did not reach the attention of most of the angry ticket buyers. In the end, the "festival" was shortened to just one day – August 6 – and lasted from 5:00 PM to midnight, hosted by Shosh Atari, Dori Ben-Zeev, and Eli Israeli.


The festival opened with a performance by Corinne Allal, who tried to warm up the evening, but left the stage after ten minutes in shock. The audience was frustrated, and there were reports of angry artists backstage.


And yet, despite everything, this was the first time we saw sparks of foreign production in Israel. A group of foreign artists on one stage, in Israel. 2 huge stages side by side, with a performance being held on one, and the next performance already being organized on the second next to it. Several of the artists did take the stage and give it their all:


Sally Oldfield opened the evening with folk-rock songs, in front of an indifferent and stunned audience.


Billy Cobham, Peter Green, Al DiMiola, David Knopfler, Climax Blues Band and Alvin Lee (who closed the evening) rounded out the night with a variety of performances – some intimate, others more immersive.


But above all – the performance by "Marillion" stood out, coming here at the height of its success and performing the entire first side of its album "Misplaced Childhood", alongside excerpts from "Fugazi" and "Script for a Jester's Tear".


This was the band's first (and only) performance in Israel. Lead singer Fish was interviewed by "Ma'ariv" and declared: "We're done with the makeup – what's important is the music". Artistically – it was a strong, concentrated, meticulous performance. However, the few who were present – perhaps 10,000 people in a huge stadium – were unable to salvage the general feeling of embarrassment.


And what happened next???


Gabi Neubauer fled the country with debts of half a million old shekels. Salem barricaded himself in the Carlton Hotel with bodyguards. A stay-at-home order was issued against him. Most of the artists did not receive their money, and left in a rage.


Peter Jacobs, the British producer, summed it up coolly:


"They are amateur producers from the Third World."


Fish, years later, also wrote on his official website:


"A ridiculous festival in Tel Aviv. There were more people behind the stage than in front of the stage. We spent four days with chronic diarrhea in the King David Hotel."


"Star Festival 85" is remembered to this day as a colossal failure. A production that did not read the market, did not understand the audience, and did not know how to manage an event of such magnitude - a name synonymous with irresponsible pretension. The Ben-Shaul advertising agency sued for 200 million old shekels, a stay-at-home order was issued against Salem, and the ground burned beneath everyone's feet.


But we will take one thing from this festival. That evening, under a steamy August sky, we were privileged to see "Marillion" take the stage and give it their all. A rare moment of true British rock – which sank and disappeared along with the remnants of the lighting, the equipment, and the dream.


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