The day I performed with Noa and Sting

Noa, Sting and Gil Dor

I wrote this on March 26,2007

I am going to a place named Toulouse in France. Toulouse is where I played with Noa and Sting without the knowledge of the audience.

The year was 1996. We had a phone call asking Noa to be a guest star on Sting’s concerts in France. It means we are to getting paid, advertised and appear as a guest star, not as open act. There would probably be a duet…

This is a great opportunity.

I immediately asked if we can replace the fee with an open act position on Sting’s tour in the US.
They asked how much funds we have for advertisement. We said $30,000. They wanted more, we could not afford.
While I negotiate the fee for Noa it came to my mind that I always wanted to play with Sting and since my talent has gone only as far as it goes I will probably not have a chance to share the stage with Sting during my life time.

I smelled a rare opportunity. I told Noa’s agent she will do the tour on one condition.
I am going to sing with Sting at least one song. “are you sure?”, “ I am certain”
I answered, Noa feels the same. I called Noa and explained my delicate situation.
She immediately showed full support and said “sure, you must play with Sting”
The next happening is 5 different phone calls with people shouting at me like I never had before.
Gerard Woog, than president of Universal Music France, “ Are you determined to destroy the biggest opportunity you got for you artist?".
Doug Morris CEO of Universal Music” you are an original destructive engine” .

And than, comes Miles Copeland. “I make sure you never work in this business again if you don’t confirm Noa in 10 hours, I have too many great artists anxious to jump on the wagon.You are lucky I like Noa.”
Well, that was not an easy decision to make, but I still felt I should not give up on playing with Sting.

The brilliant idea appeared late night in Tel Aviv when early evening in LA.
I called Miles, I said, “Miles, you are a man of music, you are all about musicians and great guitar players. I know you will accept my solution". He was nearly into shouting again. “I am listening” he said un patiently.
I went “while Noa and Sting are playing Fields of Gold on stage I will play one of my songs behind the curtain with no sound reinforcement and without the knowledge of the audience, this would still justify me writing in my biography that I have shared the stage with both Noa and Sting”
Let it be said Miles Copeland, I knew I got my self a great friend on that very moment.
I think it was December 21th 1996 when I arrived to the venue in Toulouse, Zenith.
I met Sting, Noa and the band, we had a documentary crew but they were too busy with noa and Sting and didn’t care too film my performance. So, there is no recording.

Still, it was a great night. When the first chord of fields if gold was played on stage I entered into a private world of my self and performed my “every day is the day, every place is the place, every stage is the stage and tonight is the night”.

Miles had a security guard to make sure I am not performing any surprises, after all it was the first time he ever saw me.
After the show he became a great Noa fan, and some time afterwards we have made a Hebrew language compilation of Noa’s songs for his world music imprint, Mondo Melodia.

Tonight I return to the so called “crime scene”, I am going to listen to my friend Lara Fabian and to Tears For Fears ay the Zenith in Toulouse.

Lara is great artist, her Albinoni Adagio is unique. Tears for Fears played all the great hits including Shout. What a great night, great music combined with emotional memories.