Nostalgia alert! The performers of Are you coming for vacation ? will participate in the RFM Party 80 anniversary tour in 2027. A first for the two singers, who had never performed in large venues with musicians at the peak of their success.
David and Jonathan hit the road again.
David Marouani, known today as David Gategno, and Jonathan Bermudes will return to the stage in 2027 as part of the RFM Party 80 tour, organized for the 20th anniversary of the show dedicated to the iconic artists of the 1980s. The duo will share the bill with, among others, Bibie, Début de Soirée, Luna Parker, Pauline Ester and Ryan Paris, under the direction of Charly and Lulu.
David and Jonathan had already started singing together again in recent years, but they had never before experienced a structured tour in large venues, accompanied by musicians. During their heyday, their appearances were mainly limited to galas and television programs.
A refrain that became inseparable from the summer of 1988
David and Jonathan were 18 and 20 years old when Are you coming for vacation ? It became one of the hits of the summer of 1988. The song, composed by David Marouani and written by Didier Barbelivien and Pascal Auriat, reached number three in the Top 50 and was certified gold.
The duo had formed a few years earlier at the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly in Paris. David composed, Jonathan sang, and the two friends recorded several tracks before experiencing a rapid rise to fame. Their repertoire also includes Bella life, Gina et Childlike heart.
The success was immediate, but the adventure was short-lived. After the release of the album Cœur de gosse, the two artists separated in 1989. Their joint career ended almost as quickly as it had begun.
"We haven't seen each other for 35 years!"
The separation wasn't limited to a musical hiatus. David and Jonathan went their separate ways and remained apart for several decades. David now sums up this period frankly: "We haven't seen each other for 35 years!"
David Marouani attempted a career as a performer before dedicating himself to writing, composing, and producing. Under the name David Gategno, he worked with artists such as Céline Dion, Lara Fabian, Natasha St-Pier, Tina Arena, Julio Iglesias, and Garou. He also explained that he long suffered from the image left by the duo, which was considered difficult to overcome in the music industry.
Jonathan Bermudes moved away from singing to become a photographer. His work has allowed him to build an internationally recognized career, far removed from the media exposure associated with the David and Jonathan years.
The comeback began in 2019
Their new story doesn't begin in 2026, but in 2019. TV host Jérôme Anthony convinced them to sing together again at a charity event held at the Palais des Congrès. The two artists rediscovered the joy of sharing the stage, then participated in several galas and joined the Totalement 80 troupe. This reunion allowed the duo to gauge the enduring place their songs held in the public's memory. Audience members told them they had met their partners through their music, received their albums as gifts, or passed their songs on to their children. David and Jonathan also realized that their repertoire was familiar to listeners who weren't even born in the late 1980s.
A tour in 2027, with a real band on stage
The RFM Party 80 tour is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and will visit numerous major venues across France, including Toulon, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Dijon, Reims, Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Rennes, and Paris. A date is planned at the Dôme de Paris on February 18, 2027. The show is billed as a completely live concert, featuring live musicians and collaborations between the participating artists. For David and Jonathan, this format is a new experience: even when their hits were in heavy rotation on the radio, they had never undertaken a tour of this scale.
