Israel Matzav

Video: Jethro Tull plays HaTikva; UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL VIDEO

As many of you know, there have been many musicians who have refused to come to Israel to play concerts lately, giving one excuse or another that boils down to the political situation. On Monday night, Jethro Tull played a concert in the Sultan's Pool outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. As part of the concert, the band played some recognizable cords from HaTikva, our national anthem; it's at around the 4:00 mark and the 5:10 mark in the video below.

Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: Will).



The JPost interviews the band's front man, Ian Anderson here:

Just shy of his 63rd birthday, the gregarious front man of veteran British rockers Jethro Tull showed no signs of slowing down or mellowing as he prepared to leave home in England on Wednesday for two weekend Tull shows in Caesarea and Binyamina, and one more on Monday night in Jerusalem. In a phone conversation with The Jerusalem Post, he especially minced no words about efforts to convince him to join the loosely-knit artistic boycott of Israel – efforts which prompted him to write a note on the band’s official Web site defending his decision to perform here.

“I didn’t feel the need to make any statement until I started receiving some very hateful communication from people representing different sides of this ongoing issue – from supposed human rights supporters to individuals, bodies and groups… there was some pretty nasty stuff,” said Anderson.

“Basically what I wrote was, ‘don’t f***ing tell me what to do.’ And I have to say that since I posted the letter on my site, over the last two or three weeks, nobody has uttered a peep.”

What Anderson actually wrote was his commitment, ala Leonard Cohen’s initiative in 2009, to donate his proceeds from the three shows to “bodies representing the development of peaceful co-existence between Muslims, Jews and Christians, and the fostering of better Palestinian/Israeli relations.” The letter added that he didn’t “feel pressured by human rights groups, national interests or any individuals to perform or not to perform in Israel or anywhere else.

“I make up my own mind in light of available facts, with my own experience and a sense of personal ethics.”

After Tull’s last shows in the country in 2007, Anderson said that he made the decision that if he ever returned to perform, he would donate his proceeds.

Read the whole thing.

If only other people would think for themselves like Anderson does.

UPDATE 8:17 AM

Okay, okay, I'll add some nostalgia for all you old people. Here's a song that was a hit when I was in college.

Let's go to the videotape and bungle in the jungle.



Heh.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:55 AM