Lana Del Rey Postpones Israel Concert Due To Gaza Strife
Lana Del Rey has decided to follow other musicians’ leads and not go to Israel. Not just yet…
The New York Daily News is reporting that Del Rey has decided to postpone her first-ever Tel Aviv concert, originally scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, to a later undetermined date due the growing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Though no make-up date has been determined, all tickets for the August 20 show will be honored. News of the cancellation went out to fans through Max Jury’s Twitter site. Max Jury is the opening act for Lana Del Rey.
Del Rey joins other artists who have either canceled or postponed concerts since the start of Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s campaign to eradicate tunnels running between Hamas-controlled Gaza and Israel. This week, Cee Lo Green and Megadeth called off their shows, following cancellations by Neil Young, America, Kansas, Paul Anka, and the Backstreet Boys. Lady Gaga’s set to perform in Tel Aviv on September 13.
Earlier this month, Cee Lo Green and metal band Megadeth both bowed out of upcoming concerts in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv — with both acts expressing disappointment, but noting strict rules in place for travel and large gatherings amidst the conflict.
“The band was looking forward to this concert and is disappointed they will not be able to put on the show,” a statement posted to Megadeth’s website read, citing an “inability to confirm the guaranteed passage of the band and their gear into Tel Aviv in time for the show.”
A producer for Green’s concert announced the postponement in a Facebook post, saying the decision was his and not the judges from The Voice.
Billboard is reporting that the bloody conflict in Gaza has cost millions of dollars in lost revenue from international live acts. Carmi D. Wurtman, the CEO of live promoter 2b Vibes, put the number at around $10 million as of last week, and indie music promoter Eran Arielli estimates industry losses will be at $20 million by mid-August.
Since the current hostilities began on July 8, more than 1,880 Palestinians and 67 Israelis have been killed. A three-day truce expired on Friday morning, and the fighting has since resumed with no progress in peace negotiations.
“I can’t blame them at all” for their decisions to cancel, Wurtman told Billboard.
Del Rey is on tour in support of her latest studio album, the somewhat ironically titled Ultraviolence, which sat atop the Billboard 200 in June. The record sold 182,000 copies its first week.
