The bitch is back – in Ramat Gan

June 16, 2010 - 8:58 AM by

Even as the famous (Elvis Costello, the Pixies) and the obscure (Dvendra Bannhart, Klaxxons) continue to bow out of scheduled shows in Israel due to some misplaced sentiment that they’re ‘doing the right thing’ by boycotting Israel, the ‘bitch is back.’

Elton John is scheduled to zoom in on his private jet Thursday morning for a sold-out show that night at Ramat Gan Stadium. He evidently has learned a lesson from his previous visit here in 1993 that the less interaction with the Israeli media the better.

On that visit, after a long security and immigrations ordeal at the airport, John was accosted by papparazzi at his Tel Aviv hotel, causing him to jump over a couch in an attempt to flee the mob, and eventually jump out of the country back home to England. Calm minds prevailed however, and John returned the next day and performed his show at Hayarkon Park a day after it was scheduled.

This time, with the landing, the concert and the departure all within a single day, John is managing to avoid a repeat of the hotel scene and the need to hold a press conference and answer questions about the whole boycott issue.

However, all credit must go to Sir Elton for not caving in to the appeals and pressure that have undoubtedly been thrust upon him to cancel his concert in order to punish the ‘bad Israelis.’

Maybe it was just because it would have been to expensive to stop the huge touring juggernaut in its tracks, maybe, for Elton, it’s only business, or just maybe, he doesn’t think Israel’s being treated fairly by his musical colleagues. Whatever the reason, his performance on Thursday will do wonders to stem the boycott tide, and the coverage of the show will erase the negative press causes by the previous musical cancellations.

So, who cares that, as Yediot Ahranot reported, that his technical rider has stipulated what kind of car can take him from the airport to the stadium or that he’s demanded luxurious couches and a certain kind of drapery for his private dressing room. Elton John is a diva, but he’s our diva.

Tags: , , , , • Category: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Life, Music, Politics, Pop Culture 

Comments

One Comment on The bitch is back – in Ramat Gan

  1. J. C. on Thu, Jun 17th 2010 3:35 AM

    2. Hats off to Reginald Dwight (aka Elton John) for not mixing politics with entertainment. Thank you, Sir Elton!

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