Last weekend Elvis Costello called off two concerts that he was scheduled to perform at in Israel this summer, mainly due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Below are the links to his statement regarding this decision, and the Agence France-Presse article reporting on it.
http://www.elviscostello.com/news/it-is-after-considerable-contemplation/44
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100518/ten-mideast-conflict-music-costello-1dc2b55.html
Please read them and comment about whether or not you think this was a wise decision on his part. Do you think it was necessary to cancel these shows for his fans to be kept safe? Do you agree with what the news reporter wrote? Also, how do you think the people who had planned to attend these shows are reacting?
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I dont think Costello was trying to make a political statement, I think he was trying to make a decision that wouldn't put Israelis and Palestinians in any danger in the name of Music. I dont think he is protesting his own fans, I think he made a decision for the greater good.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie. As a musician Costello is looked up to as a role model and as a role model, putting groups of people, especially his own fans, in danger would make him look ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI can assure you that Mr. Costello's decision is a political one, as it is newsworthy when a famous entertainer chooses a reasoned philosophical response over getting paid a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteAnn
I think that it is both political response and just to keep his fans safe. Like Jaymi said, he is looked up to a role model so he didn't want to put a huge group of people in danger, but by doing that it made a political statement.
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