"That man with the glasses, that man with the badge1, that man with the charisma; ladies and gentlemen here he is now for you, Lee Towers..."

Fragment from the voice-over by Mies Bouwman

Against all expectations and ignoring all the well-meaning advice, in October '84 Lee Towers presented his first Gala of the Year concerts in Ahoy'. With this first edition of the Gala of the Year in Ahoy' Lee Towers launched a new phenomenon in the Netherlands. Something that had previously been reserved exclusively for great international artistes such as Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross. 

From a splendid stage, specially designed for the concerts, Lee Towers presented a show of international class. Specially for this occasion an international orchestra was flown over from London, consisting of more than seventy musicians, inspringly conducted by Jerry van Rooyen. In addition to performances by the Penny de Jager show ballet and the support of a large backing choir, the very best specialists from America and the UK in the field of light, sound and lasers were called upon to make the show an ultimate highlight of the show-biz year.

The interest in the Ahoy' concerts was truly huge and made it necessary for Lee Towers to give an additional concert. The stylishly dressed audience enjoyed a unique experience and guest performances by other artistes such as Julia Loko.

For the first time in Holland computer-controlled Varilights and a spectacular firework display were used.

With the introduction of his Gala of the Year in 1984, Lee Towers laid the foundation for subsequent success for fellow-artistes such as René Froger, Anita Meijer, Gordon and Frans Bauer. In that year Lee Towers also introduced the so-called sponsor packages in the Netherlands, by involving the business community in an evening's entertainment. This made him the trend-setter for Dutch show business in the eighties and nineties!