Beatles Legend Paul McCartney Performs in Israel

10/16/2008

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In front of 40,000 fans in Tel Aviv last month, Sir Paul McCartney performed Beatles classics such as “Hello Goodbye,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yesterday,” marking the rock star and icon’s first show in Israel.

While many revelers in the audience may have been too young to remember the Beatles’ golden age, that didn’t stop thousands of them from enthusiastically embracing McCartney, cheering and singing along throughout his performance.

The show comes 43 years after the Israeli government, according to some accounts, banned the Beatles in 1965 out of concern that the group would corrupt the morals of the youth.

In the days surrounding the event, “Beatlemania” was palpable in the Israeli press as articles dominated headlines with topics ranging from fans’ reactions to what type of car McCartney would drive while in Israel.

Saying his concert constitutes a mission of peace for Israel and the Palestinians, McCartney dubbed the concert “Friendship First.”

In deciding to play in Israel, McCartney defied threats from extremists to derail the event. McCartney received threats from Palestinian groups as well as a Lebanese cleric, Omar Barki Muhammad, who said, “The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.”  Yet McCartney was not deterred. “I was approached by different groups and political bodies who asked me not to come here,” McCartney told The Guardian. “I refused. I do what I think, and I have many friends who support Israel.”

Speaking to reporters on the eve of his performance, McCartney said: “People ask this question through the years: ‘Do you think music can change things?’ I think it can. I think it’s good for people’s souls. I think without music it would be a seriously bad world. I’m bringing a message of peace, and I think that’s what the region needs.”  •NER•

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