With last Sunday’s expected official announcement of the date and Tel Aviv venue of this summer’s Justin Timberlake concert postponed until next week due the death and funeral of Ariel Sharon, other shows have moved in to steal some of the limelight.First and foremost, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young and his band Crazy Horse will fill Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv with squalls of amplified grunge on July 17 in a show entitled “The Past, the Present and The Future with Neil Young and Crazy Horse.”Along with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Eric Clapton and a handful of others, Young is one of the only rock & rollers that launched a career in the 1960s and maintained their artistic pedigree, appeal and commercial viability into the present without turning into an “oldies” act.
While there may be a laid-back version of “Heart of Gold” or “The Needle and the Damage Done,” the show will likely focus heavily on the prolonged jams and psychedelic excursions Young and Crazy Horse perfected on songs like “Down By The River” and “My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue).”It will be Young’s second performance in Israel, following a 1993 show at the Caesarea Amphitheater with Pearl Jam following their collaboration on the Young album Mirror Ball.In addition to the Young show, and the already-announced summer festival on June 17 and 18 featuring Soundgarden and the Pixies, three more old-time rock acts have announced upcoming concerts in Israel.The Crimson ProjeKct, a spinoff band of musicians who played in the influential ‘70s progressive rock band King Crimson, will be playing at the Tel Aviv Opera House on March 5. The band includes bona fide Crimson greats like guitarist Adrian Belew and bassist Tony Levin.On March 6 and 7 at the Zappa Club in Tel Aviv, The Stars from the Commitments, a spinoff band featuring the original bassist and drummer from the band made famous in the 1991 film of the same name, will be performing their soul rave-up.Then on March 25, also at the Tel Aviv Opera House and the following night at the Romema Arena in Haifa, the British classic rockers Foreigner, led by original guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones, will perform as part of a high-profile comeback. From “Hot Blooded” to “I Want to Know What Love Is,” the band dominated the radio charts of the 1980s.With reports of shows by The Rolling Stones, Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga still in circulation, 2014 is shaping up to be one of Israel’s most active for musical imports. Did someone mention boycott?tion boycott?Neil Young and Crazy Horse lead pack of veterans on the way to Israel
Young is one of the only rock & rollers that launched a career in the 1960s who has continued to maintain his artistic pedigree.
