Around 6,000 people gathered to see KALEO, an Icelandic blues-rock band, marking a test for Armenia as it seeks to position itself on the global concert map.
The strong interest shown by the local fans reflects growing interest in international performers who rarely choose Armenia as a destination for their concerts, often driving fans to travel abroad, including to neighboring Georgia, to see their favorite artists.
KALEO’s concert in Armenia was the band’s first show of the year, as shared by the lead singer, Jökull Júlíusson, during the concert. It was long-anticipated and warmly welcomed by the Armenian audience.
“When I learned that KALEO was going to perform in Armenia, I was shocked and could not believe it,” says Lucy Makoyan, one of the attendees of the concert. “I had set an alarm for the pre-sale of the tickets to wake up early and buy the tickets.”
“I learned about the concert in December,” says Lilit Harutyunyan, another attendee. “I was very excited and I really wanted to come.”
Organizing the concert required more than five months of negotiations with the band’s agents and the management, according to Show4me CEO and founder, and concert organizer Karen Chiftalaryan. This process involved extensive planning, including financial coordination, venue approval, technical preparation, logistics as well as arranging travel and accommodation.
“Many local concert promoters said ‘This is not right music for Armenia,’ that this artist would not work for the local market,” Chiftalaryan explains. “But I believed in the taste of the Armenian audience, and that KALEO has its listeners here and eventually my expectations were fully met.”
Chiftalaryan notes that there were many challenges, but regional instability proved particularly hard.
“The situation in the Middle East turned out to be a serious challenge for us,” he says. “We had to fully revise our plan and reschedule flights for the group and its whole team. It was very important for us to convince the management that it is safe to travel to Armenia. This was probably one of the most tense moments.”
Despite overcoming the challenges, concerts of international artists remain relatively rare in Armenia, with a few exceptions. In August 2025, Jennifer Lopez performed in Yerevan in place of Snoop Dogg, whose concert had been cancelled two years before. The Government provided $6 million for the Lopez concert, which sparked a backlash in society. Another concert took place in October 2024, when Jason Derulo performed during the WCIT/DigiTec opening ceremony, with free public entry. Some international artists had also performed in Armenia as part of the Coca-Cola music fest.
Many young Armenians say they would like to see more.
“There has been some progress in recent years, but I still feel there is a lack of concerts in the country,” Makoyan says. “But I don’t know what can be done to raise interest for Armenia among global artists and bands.”
In contrast, neighboring Georgia has been attracting more global artists recently as part of a state-supported Starring Georgia campaign. Among the top artists that have performed there include Imagine Dragons, Bruno Mars, OneRepublic and Justin Timberlake. Armenians are among those attending these concerts.
“If an artist I love performs in Georgia, I will travel there,” Harutyunyan says, adding that she plans to travel to Georgia in June for Tom Odell’s concert.
Chiftalaryan says there are many factors.
“It’s about infrastructure, economics and logistics,” he notes. “From venues with different capacity to clear tax policy, government regulations and sometimes more tangible institutional or governmental support. Everything can be motivated by the government in a smart way.”
A major issue in Armenia is infrastructure. According to him, there are not enough venues with different capacities. There are many good bands that would bring 2,000 to 3,000 people, but Armenia doesn’t have such venues at all, making it not economically viable for the organizer to bring bands to the existing large venues. At the same time, existing venues still need to be updated in many cases as big stars and bands have high technical rider requirements.
“There are many bands like KALEO I would love to see in Armenia,” Makoyan says. “But I feel like they do not have a big interest in Armenia.”
Still, Chiftalaryan remains optimistic, noting that negotiations are underway with several major artists, though he declined to share details, saying “everything can become a problem in the snap of a finger.”
“Armenia has significant potential,” Chiftalaryan said. “We have the audience, interest in quality international music, and have people willing to attend concerts. But if we want to make Armenia a regular destination on the map of global tours, we have to consistently develop the market.”