by Greek correspondent Dimitrios Machairidis
Photo credit: Dimitrios Machairidis
“Salom Tel Aviv! Salom Israel! God bless you!” Nikos Vertis, the famous Greek singer, is on stage in the Nokia Arena,Tel Aviv. There is an outburst from the audience. The fans are screaming. They sing the Greek lyrics of Vertis’s songs. They do not speak Greek but they know the lyrics by heart. With iPhones and smartphones they try to capture some stardust moments of their idol. Nikos Vertis is a star in Greece and in Israel as well.
Nikos Vertis Photo credit: Konstantinos Garinis
“Every time I give a concert in Tel Aviv it is exciting. The Israeli audience is amazing. Their reactions are extremely touching. They fly from Tel Aviv to Athens for my concerts. They come to see me backstage afterwards and their question is always when my next concert in Israel will take place. This is the fourth concert in Tel Aviv and we are already planning the next one,” he told Hollywood on the Potomac backstage.
Vertis always arrives in Tel Aviv with a whole team for the preparation of his concert. Konstantinos Garinis aka VJ CODEC, his visual effects artist, cooperates with David Guetta, the famous French DJ, record producer, re-mixer, and songwriter. Nikos spends more than a week in Tel Aviv in order to prepare for his concert. He loves perfection. The tickets can cost as much as 200 US dollars, a considerable amount for a concert in Israel.
Born and raised in the Netherlands by Greek parents, Nikos started playing bouzouki at the age of seven. After finishing college in Holland he moved to Greece because of his love for Greek music. He started his career in Thessaloniki, music capital and hub for the young talents of Greece. His first song was released in 2003 and climbed immediately to the Greek Top 10. Since then he is one of the bestselling artists in Greece.
Greek music is very popular in Israel. Greek Jews, who moved from Greece and specifically Thessaloniki to Israel after 1948 when the State of Israel was created, brought with them the heritage and the culture of the Greek songs. Today the music ties between Greece and Israel are very strong. Walking in the streets of Tel Aviv you listen to Greek music. The in-flight entertainment of EL AL, the flag carrier of Israel, includes numerous Greek songs. Many Greek artists organize concerts even in small cities in Israel. The musical collaborations between Greek and Israeli artists, DJs, visual artists and composers are becoming strong.
“I have not released my own CD in Israel yet. Up to now I do collaborations with Israeli artists,” said Vertis. For this concert he collaborated with the Israeli performer, composer and keyboardist Idan Raichel. Nikos invited Idan on stage and they both sang Idan’s songs in Israeli lyrics. “Niko sagapo,” which in Greek means “Niko I love you,” shouted his Israeli fans. “Everything is about love,” he replied and the crowd went crazy.
Almost three hours on stage was not enough. Backstage, Vertis stayed at least one hour, so that one after the other, the fans queued up for a selfie with their idol. He indulged even in their tenacity to kiss him. They will have to wait until next year in order to touch him again. Early next morning Nikos Vertis flew from Tel Aviv to Thessaloniki for his next concert.
