So in sneaked Sir Elton John last Thursday night, smuggled in under a blanket of anonymity in case anyone got wind of his appearing in the Holy Land (yeh, like nobody knew!). Some artists have been falling by the wayside in recent weeks, under immense international lobbying by those who hate Israel, but there was no way a sequined-clad Queen was going to let down her faithful fans…
As Sir Elton put it, during his show at the Ramat Gan stadium:
“Shalom, we are so happy to be back here! Ain’t nothing gonna stop us from coming, baby! Musicians spread love and peace, and bring people together. That’s what we do. We don’t cherry-pick our conscience.”
Of course, lines that are guaranteed you an attentive and enthusiastic audience! The show was apparently a great success anyway, as Sir Elton pumped out his greatest hits rather than any new material. He also played the trump card of actually just turning up, something of a novelty in the last few weeks, as Israel struggles to shake off its “leper” image.
So well done Elton for coming to perform in Israel. Your many fans over here in the Holy Land will undoubtedly show their appreciation by snapping up any future releases, as the back collections of the Pixies and Elvis Costello fly into the bargain bins…