This summer’s list of performers in Israel is impressively long and impressively impressive with some real big stars lined up. Kaballah-friendly Madonna is without doubt the biggie attraction, followed closely by Leonard Cohen.
The chances of Madonna pulling out look slim to almost zero, though this is Israel, so expect the unexpected (such as war, war, and even another war). The chances of Leonard Cohen pulling out, however, are growing daily. The fact that tickets for the Leonard Cohen concert are still not available speaks volumes, and the increasing pressure from pro-Palestinian groups on Cohen to cancel his show in Tel Aviv seems to be a growing factor.
This week Cohen performed a 3-hour gig in Belfast, and outside the stadium a group of pro-Palestinians handed out leaflets calling on him to cancel the Tel Aviv concert. These anti-Israel groups have managed to force the cancellation of Cohen’s gig in Ramallah, originally scheduled for two days after the show in Israel. I really hope they don’t convince Cohen to do the same to his gig in Tel Aviv, because despite the record number of stars performing in Israel this summer, Leonard Cohen not showing up will leave a bitter taste in many mouths…
The Tel Aviv concert is still not on Leonard Cohen’s official tour list, which is also a worrying sign. But the Israeli sponsor of the show, Bank Discount, is apparently confident the show will take place and has already filmed adverts to promote it.
We say come on over Leonard! The water’s lovely and there are some amazingly hot women over here that think you’re the man…I’ve been told it’s the voice, those romantic words…