Aviv Geffen practices his Irish

August 25, 2010 - 12:01 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Israeliness, Music, Politics, Pop Culture 

They may not be coming to Israel, but U2 will still have an Israeli tinge to their show next week in Athen, Greece.

Aviv Geffen, the one-time bad boy of Israeli rock, and now just another talented mainstream singer/songwriter, will be one of the opening acts – along with Snow Patrol – for the Irish superstars at Athens’ Olympic stadium on September 3rd.

It will undoubdedly be the biggest audience of his life for the 37-year-old singer who has been a staple on Israeli radio for close to two decades. Geffen’s original anti-establishment, anti-war, and mascara-wearing attitude and appearance aligned him with the Israeli Left and alienated him with everyone else.

He also did little to endear himself to the average Moshe when became vocal about not serving in the IDF, though officially, he was dismissed for medical reasons. But in the ensuing years, there’s been a softening on both sides, and what once was outlandish and borderline unacceptable in Israeli society is now mainstream.

Geffen, the son of writer and poet Yehonatan Geffen, has been concentrating on his international career in English over the last few years – including releasing his own albums and collaborating in the band Blackfield with Porcupine Tree’s Steven Wilson.

According to Yediot Aharonot, Geffen has gained an audience in both England and Germany, and his show in Greece is indiction of his growing popularity there too.

Maybe if he gets a chance to chat with Bono, he can talk him up about returning to Israel. The last time U2 performed here was in 1999. And even though the band has long aligned itself with liberal Amnesty International-type causes, there’s no indication to think that that the reason they’re not hopping over to Israel from Greece has anything to do with a boycott. It’s most likely that with all the money spent this summer on the big time artists who have arrived, local promoters are playing it tight in regards to U2′s obvious enormous fee.
Too bad, a U2-Aviv Geffen closing the summer show in Park Hayarkon would have been the perfect way to glide into September.

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Springsteen – Born to play in Tel Aviv

February 1, 2009 - 9:51 AM by · 6 Comments
Filed under: General, Music, Pop Culture, Sports 

The BossIt’s Super Sunday here, just like in the US. Except that ours lasts all the way to 5:00 am, when the Super Bowl is likely to wind down.

This year I have no vested interest in either the Steelers nor the Cardinals, and would not even consider staying up all night, if it weren’t for the half time entertainment. How many times do you get to see Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band perform live, albeit for only 12 minutes?

Apparently, it’s the only way Israelis are going to see them live. Each time a new tour is announced – and the past few years with Springsteen’s prolific resurgence, he’s been on tour all the time – I anxiouxly wait to see the European itinerary hoping that Tel Aviv will finally be listed. The dates for his 2009 tour in support of his new album Working on a Dream have just been announced, and again we’ve been snubbed, with Bruce preferring the tried and true European venues he’s familiar with like Copenhagen and Barcelona.

Granted, the Boss’s Israel connections are a little tenuous. But let’s not forget that an Israeli – violinist Suki Lahav - played on Born to Run’s “Jungleland” back in 1975. And hey – isn’t “The Promised Land” about us? And as my friend Arthur once wrote, seeing Bruce play the song in Sultan’s Pool overlooking the Old City in Jerusalem would probably be one of the most transcendent moments of any concert anywhere.

But to get down to it, the real reason that Springsteen should come here is simple – I haven’t seen him perform since moving to Israel in the mid-80s. After seeing Springsteen a half dozen times in the late 1970s, I’ve been spoiled for life, and no other concert I’ve seen since has compared.

So, c’mon Bruce – hop inside, you know just what we’re here for. Talk to your pals Bono and Paul McCartney, I think they were pretty impressed with Park Hayarkon as a venue and the the enthusiasm of the Israeli audiences. We can take you and Patti out for some humous in Tel Aviv, you can go entertain some Palestinian children like Sir Paul did, and we can even import some of Clarence’s favorite chicken for after the show.

In the meantime, chances are I’ll doze through the first half of the Super Bowl tonight in order to stand at attention for 12 minutes during halftime for the greatest show on earth.

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