California band Smash Mouth surprises crowd at Tel Aviv club
Audience had bought tickets for concert without being told who would be playing; group’s Jewish lead singer Zach Goode has previously posted about his solidarity with Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
California pop-rock band Smash Mouth surprised the audience at Tel Aviv’s Barby club Monday night when it appeared onstage and began playing unannounced.
The unexpected show was one of the club’s “Cat in the Bag” concerts, where audience members buy tickets without knowing who will perform.
The band had posted on Instagram a day earlier, “A secret show overseas! But where is it??? It’s a secret! The Believer Breakdown!”
The band played again on Tuesday night and sold tickets for that performance.
Best known for its 1990s and early 2000s pop-rock hits, including “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun,” the group was warmly received by the Tel Aviv crowd when audience members realized who was onstage.
The crowd joined in throughout the show, particularly when Smash Mouth began playing its cover of “I’m a Believer” from the “Shrek” soundtrack, prompting a full audience singalong.
Last night, legendary rock band Smash Mouth held a surprise concert in Tel Aviv!
The performance took place as part of a concert series at the Barby Club, where the audience buys tickets without knowing who will perform pic.twitter.com/3ZxrG2ukrr
— The Uri (@uricohenisrael) February 24, 2026
Smash Mouth, which formed in 1994, only has one remaining original member, Paul de Lisle.
Lead singer Zach Goode, not one of the band’s original members, replaced original lead man Steve Harwell, who left the band in 2021 due to ongoing physical and mental health issues.
During Harwell’s last show in October 2021 in New York, the disoriented vocalist slurred his words, yelled at the audience, and twice raised his hand in a Nazi salute.
Harwell died on September 4, 2023, at age 56, from acute liver failure.
Goode was officially announced as the new lead singer for Smash Mouth in March 2022.
The lead singer, who has spoken about being raised in a Jewish home, has repeatedly stated his solidarity with Israel and fellow Jews on social media, particularly on his X account, throughout the two years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught and subsequent war in Gaza.
Now in Israel, Goode posted photos of himself at the Western Wall and Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, as well as one of his breakfast.
“Breakfast in Israel compared to the U.S. is insane!” wrote Goode.
The American band is one of the few musical groups to perform in Israel since the war began.
The international music community has been increasingly angered by Israel’s conduct, particularly in Gaza, and has moved to exclude the country from cultural life around the world.
In October, after more than 4,000 figures in the film industry pledged to avoid working with Israeli institutions “that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” some 400 musicians asked for their works to be blocked from distribution in Israel as part of an initiative called “No Music for Genocide.”
Israeli performers haven’t been touring as frequently abroad, fearful of the reception they may receive.
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