The consequences of the ongoing barrage of terrorist rocket fire, the uptick in retaliatory bombings by the Israel Air Force and now the IDF ground invasion into Gaza continue to ripple, even to the world of rock music.
Police cancelled an historic concern by rock legend Neil Young, scheduled for Thursday night in Tel Aviv’s Park Hayarkon, citing fears of a rocket attack on the crowd, expected to have topped 40,000. In response to the cancellation, the singer donated money to two music charities, one Israeli and one Palestinian Arab, as a hopeful gesture towards peace.
In addition, folk rock band America also canceled an August 7 concert in Ra’anana because of the violence between Gaza and Israel.
In a shocking display of hatred and crudity, Eddie Vedder of the rock band Pearl Jam, launched into a crude attack on stage last Friday, July 11. In the middle of his concert in England, Vedder began ranting about a nearby violent conflict, where “people are looking for a reason to kill,” and who “go across borders to take land that doesn’t belong to them.”
Although Vedder never mentioned the names Israel or Gaza, his thinly-veiled reference to the “Jewish lobby” was unmistakable.
“We don’t want to give them our money,” the 49-year-old Vedder screamed at a concert last Friday. “We don’t want to give them our taxes to drop bombs on children! Now! No more! Now!”, and then proceeded to wail an anti-war song.
Following the performance, Vedder and some of his fans have engaged in disingenuous explanations, including on the musician’s Facebook page.
Here is a video of the performance. Vedder’s expletive-laden rant against Israel begins at the 4:20 mark on the video. WARNING: There is rapid-fire, repetitive cursing in and surrounding the anti-Israel attack.
