The planned Tel Aviv concert by British pop superstar Sam Smith next month has been cancelled, organizers said Friday, citing logistical and technical difficulties.
“Due to unforeseen technical and logistical problems, there will be no shows on the evening of May 31 (including Sam Smith’s),” the show’s production team said in a statement cited by Hebrew-language media. Ticket-holders will be able to get refunds.
It would have marked Sam’s first time performing in Israel, but news they were on the bill was previously met with fierce backlash.
The hashtag #SamDontGo spreading on social media, with fans calling on them to not take part in the event.
In a letter to Sam, Ghadir Shafie – the co-founder of Aswat, a Palestinian feminist centre for gender and sexual freedoms – also urged them not to perform.
Shafie wrote that ‘despite intentions, helps prop up the false image of Israel as a modern, democratic society’, adding: ‘It may sound benign, but it is what allows Israel to continue its wholesale theft of Palestinian life, land, and dignity.’
Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” Bond theme won an Oscar in 2013, and earlier this year he and Kim Petras took home a Grammy for best performance by a pop duo or group for their hit collaboration “Unholy.”
Smith was set to perform as part of a two-day “Summer in the City” festival of music at HaYarkon Park, with the second day to be headlined by Robbie Williams.
Williams, a former Take That star, last performed in Israel in 2015 when he gave a concert in Tel Aviv attended by over 35,000 people.
The boycotts, divestment, and sanctions movement had issued public calls for Smith to cancel his Tel Aviv performance, although it was unclear if it was related.
No comments:
Post a Comment