Elton John Plays in Israel
Elton John played a concert in Ramat Gan in Tel Aviv, Israel on Thursday despite pressure from pro-Palestinian activists.
After the flotilla incident off the coast of Gaza, artists such as Elvis Costello, Santana, the Pixies and Devendra Banhart, have cancelled concerts recently. Costello made a statement for why he cancelled his concert. He said it was a “matter of instinct and conscience.”
Elton John criticized these artists by saying, “Musicians spread love and peace, and bring people together. That’s what we do. We don’t cherry-pick our conscience.”
John caused a small stir when he played at Rush Limbaugh’s wedding. Limbaugh is a known anti-gay marriage activist. The Editor-in-Chief of Out Magazine told PopEater that, “It betrays either ignorance or self interest on both, and jeopardizes his admirable record on gay rights.”
About being invited to sing at the wedding, John said, “Life is about building bridges, not walls.”