Thursday, May 12, 2011

Deep Purple: Only Wimps Cancel Concerts In Israel

From Haaretz:

Ahead of their third Israeli tour, English rock band Deep Purple took a stand against other musicians who cancel their concerts in Israel due to politics, saying artists should not take sides in political conflicts, with drummer Ian Paice calling these musicians "real wimps."

The band spoke at a press conference Wednesday ahead of two concerts they are due to perform in Caesarea on Saturday and Sunday. This visit is Deep Purple's third Israeli tour. The last time they visited was in 2008, when they played four concerts to full crowds of cheering fans.

Deep Purple's vocalist Ian Gillen stressed to reporters that musicians should remain impartial in political disputes, and likened this to making the assumption that Deep Purple supported all of Tony Blair's policies because they gave a concert in London ten years ago.


Imagine Deep Purple playing "Smoke on the water" in the Caesarera Amphitheatre, overlooking the sea. Hmmm. Thats the stuff rock legends are made of.

So, Omar, Hows that cultural boycott coming along?

No comments: