Elton John performs in Ramat Gan. Copyright © 2010 AFP

Sir Elton has sold more than 250 million albums in his 40+year career. Many times more than the all the bands that cancelled their shows in Israel this year put together. Draw your own conclusions. None of the other bands could round up 50,000 people to hear them, anywhere, let alone Israel. This from Haaretz

“Elton John: No one could have stopped me from coming.” Refusing to bow to the pressure of anti-Israel activists, Sir Elton John arrived in Israel on Thursday and performed in front of tens of thousands of Israelis at the Ramat Gan stadium.

and JTA

About 50,000 fans attended the concert. It was his third career appearance in Israel.

John’s appearance comes on the heels of cancellations by well-known artists such as British rocker Elvis Costello, Carlos Santana and Gil Scott-Heron, reportedly after pressure by pro- Palestinian groups. Following the May 31 interception by Israel of a Gaza-bound flotilla that left 9 passengers dead, other artists cancelled including The Pixies, Klaxons, Gorillaz, and, this week, Dvendra Barnhart.

“I have always believed that music inhabits a world set apart from politics, religious differences or prejudice of any kind,” John said on his website, defending his decision to appear in Israel.

About the author

Rabbi Yonah

8 Comments

  • And we should be pleased by this? This is a man who just performed at Rush Limbaugh’s latest wedding. Rush Limbaugh, well known for his intolerance and hate mongering, has said many problematic things about “the Jews.” Choose your friends a bit more wisely, Sir Elton John, and maybe than I’d be happy to celebrate you “doing the right thing.”

  • SIR Elton John you a great musician,a intelligent man.THE SHOW MUST GO ON, in ISRAEL!!!.Thank you so much.

  • Elton did play in Sun City in 1983 so there should be no mistaking his consistency. Also, playing in Sun City at the time has to be a politically incorrect world record, even for him.

    Before that he became the first western star to perform in Soviet 1979, in a time when everybody just waited for the bomb. Russians had almost no access to popular music and were looked upon as almost not human in the west.

    Now he’s doing Israel again despite their inhumane regime in Palestine but don’t forget that Israel is gay friendly and that parts of the muslime culture is very aggressive towards his kind.

    I’m sure though that he’d play anywhere if he’s welcome (for example in Morocco recently and a gig in Egypt cancelled due to his homosexuality). The list is long and one might argue that the man has no values at all.

    I thought so when I was younger but the more I follow his moves a pattern of a true anarchistic belief in music and an extremely rare sense of real non prejudice towards any matter keeps him going. If you are a prophet you’re spit upon in your own time.

  • Cami hal?lar?nda al???lm?? kal?plar?n d???na ç?k?p mavi, k?rm?z?, gülkurusu gibi renkleri yün cami hal?s?, akrilik cami hal?s? ve yün cami hal?s?, göbekli cami hal?s? çe?itlerinde kullanarak camilerimizi daha da güzelle?tirmekten ve siz de?erli mü?terilerimizin güvenini kazanmaktan büyük mutluluk duymaktay?z.