Will Smith, Benson Boone, Billy Idol, Scorpions... Why Monaco's "small" Salle des Etoiles is attracting the biggest names this summer

Billy Idol tonight for the Red Cross gala, before Santana and the Scorpions. Alfonso Ciulla, the artistic director of the SBM, is taking on the rock theme for the 2025 season, which also includes other styles.

An issue of Les Inrocks on the table, a giant portrait of Lenny Kravitz on the wall. There's no doubt about it, rock has a rightful place in the SBM's artistic director's office. And it will also be at the heart of a Monaco Red Cross gala this Saturday, with Billy Idol, the icon of 1980s British rock, on stage.

"It was a wish to have Billy Idol. We were asked to do something rock, something unusual. When you take risks, it can and will work," assures Alfonso Ciulla. "He's a transgenerational artist, and that '80s rock is being revived, especially his song "Eyes Without a Face," featured in the soundtrack of Gilles Lellouche's film, L'amour ouf. Young people are very receptive to this music."

For the rest, preparations for this gala—a highlight of the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival season—were orchestrated throughout the week, creating a decor inspired by the work of Bernar Venet (who is donating a piece of work to the Monaco Red Cross this year). On stage, the evening will be hosted by dancer Aurélie Dupont and journalist Harry Roselmack, who will be in charge of the raffle draw.