Why Was Neil Young Concert Canceled In Israel?

People in Israel will not get a chance to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse in concert Thursday in Hayarkon Park. The show was canceled because of safety concerns, the Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

“It is with great sorrow that we are forced to announce the cancelation 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 cancelation 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.”

A representative for Young added, according to Rolling Stone: "It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we must cancel our one and only Israeli concert due to tensions which have rendered the event unsafe at this time. We'll miss the opportunity to play for our fans and look forward to playing in Israel and Palestine in peace."

People who bought tickets for the show will be informed abpit refunds and reimbursements. Rolling Stone said about 30,000 people bought tickets to the show. It would have been his first concert in the country since the 1990s.

There was call for Young to cancel the show by Anti-Israel musician Roger Waters, who took to Facebook.

“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’ e-mail. 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.”

Though Young will no longer perform, other acts, like Backstreet Boys, Lana Del Ray and Lady Gaga have not opted to pull out.

Young is known for hits like “Keep on Rocking in the Free World,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Harvest Moon,” “Tell Me Why” and “Don’t Let It Bring You Down.” The Canadian singer-songwriter first rose to fame in the band Buffalo Springfield.

The famous rocker said he would donate to the Louse Tillie Alpert Youth Music Center of Israel and Heartbeat, "two organizations that teach music to Palestinian and Israeli youth simultaneously by enabling them to play music together."

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