From Rock band Smash Mouth plays surprise Tel Aviv concert
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 rock band Smash Mouth surprised the audience at Tel Aviv’s Barby club Monday night when they came onstage and began playing.
The band, best known for its 1990s and early 2000s pop-rock hits, including “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun,” was warmly received by the crowd, especially when it swung into its cover of “I’m a Believer” from the “Shrek” soundtrack, prompting a full audience singalong.
Smash Mouth will perform again at Barby Tel Aviv tonight, but the earlier show was one of the club’s “Cat in the Bag” concerts, when audience members buy tickets without knowing who will perform.
The band posted a clip from the show on its Instagram account, writing, “Go for the Moon World Tour 2026,” after posting a day earlier, “A secret show overseas! But where is it??? It’s a secret! The Believer Breakdown!”
Jewish lead singer Zach Goode, not one of the band’s original members, has been stating his solidarity with Israel and fellow Jews on social media over the past two years.
He was harassed by anti-Israel commenters when he wrote, “It’s a war. Kinda have to pick a side… One side wants us dead.”
Steve Harwell, one of the band’s original members who left in 2021, twice raised his hand in a Nazi salute during a show.
Now in Israel, Goode has so far only posted about his breakfasts, noting “Breakfast in Israel compared to the U.S. is insane!”
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