2b Vibes, promoters for former Voice judge Cee Lo Green’s show in Israel, have announced that the performance has been canceled. Cee Lo joins the growing list of artists who have canceled concerts in Israel due to security concerns.
Local promoters confirmed that the Cee Lo Green concert scheduled for August 19 in Jerusalem’s Independence Park has been cancelled. The Israeli show promoter Carmi Wurtman said, “The artist and his crew really wanted to come, but unfortunately we were the ones who had to postpone it because this is not the right time to advertise and push a concert and also because Israel Defense Forces’ regional Home Front Command allows gathering of up to a thousand people only.”
Wurtman told Hollywood Reporter that plans are being made to reschedule the concert for late October or early November.
Cee Lo has been stepping up his touring schedule since leaving ‘The Voice’; a job, Inquisitr reports, that he found taxing and tiring
The band Megadeth also announced on August 4 th that they had canceled their planned performance for this coming Wednesday at the Tel Aviv convention center, even after guitarist Dave Mustaine insisted that the show would go on. Mustaine has repeatedly expressed support for Israel, reports J Post . He was “dead set” on the concert in Israel, saying in an interview, “Anyone who doesn’t come to Israel now is a coward.”
The band made the following announcement on their website Monday. “Due to an inability to confirm the guaranteed passage of the band and their gear into Tel Aviv in time for the show, the upcoming Megadeth concert, scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, 2014, has been cancelled. The band was looking forward to this concert and it disappointed they will not be able to put on the show for their fans, but expects to return to Tel Aviv on their next international tour.”
Security threats in Israel due to Operation Protective Edge over the past month have led to the cancellation of several live music events. Cee Lo Green and Megadeath are the latest artists to cancel concerts in Israel, including Neil Young, Backstreet Boys, Wyclef Jean, and Paul Anka.
In spite of the current ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, promoters are unsure that any even in the area affected by the recent violence will be safe for performers and concert-goers. They hope that the political conflict in the area will be resolved by fall, and cancelled concerts can be rescheduled.
Fans are taking the announcements well and looking forward to future concerts for both performers.
Image courtesy of Atlantic Records