Neil Young concert canceled due to rocket fire on Tel Aviv
Organizers said that safety of the crowd was chief factor in decision to cancel show.
By JPOST.COM STAFFLegendary rocker Neil Young(photo credit: Courtesy)
The much-anticipated concert featuring legendary rocker Neil Young, who was due to perform in Tel Aviv this coming Thursday, has been canceled due to the latest outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.“It is with great sorrow that we are forced to announce the cancellation of the concert by Neil Young and Crazy Horse this coming Thursday at Hayarkon Park,” promoter Shuki Weiss announced in a press release on Sunday. “The cancellation is due to the barrage of rockets that have been fired in recent days and concern for the safety of an audience for such an event,” the statement read.Those who purchased tickets will receive instructions later this week regarding refunds and reimbursements.The Canadian singer-songwriter and performer first gained prominence as a member of the band Buffalo Springfield before eventually embarking on a successful solo career. Young, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is known for such hit songs as “Keep on Rocking in the Free World,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Harvest Moon,” “Tell Me Why” and “Don’t Let It Bring You Down.”Anti-Israel musician Roger Waters took to Facebook on Friday to reiterate his earlier call for Young to cancel his upcoming performances in Israel.“Enough is enough,” Waters wrote. “In January this year I wrote a private letter to Neil Young, it was sent via his manager Elliot Roberts’ email.I never received a reply of any kind.”“More recently I spoke openly about The Rolling Stones performing in Tel Aviv,” he added. “In light of the appalling recent events in Israel and Gaza and my dismay at the lack of any response from our governments and in a final appeal to Neil’s possible attachment to the rights of all human beings, not just the disenfranchised natives of North America, but all human beings all over the world, I am publishing that letter now.”Waters’ outspoken support of the Palestinian people is well known; last year, he sparked controversy after floating an inflatable pig with a Star of David on it during a concert, and later made comments comparing the Israeli government to Nazis.For the time being, no other acts, including Backstreet Boys, Lana Del Ray and Lady Gaga, have opted to pull out of scheduled concerts in Israel.
