Lollapalooza Israel postponed indefinitely, due to lack of bands willing to play Israel

By Marah Eakin | January 23, 2013 | 8:35pm

Aux Features Music

Lollapalooza Israel postponed indefinitely, due to lack of bands willing to play Israel

Lollapalooza’s planned festival in Israel has been postponed indefinitely. The fest was to take place Aug. 20-22 in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, but organizers have been struggling to book big-name acts (other than Jane's Addiction, of course) to play it. Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth also reports that the festival was having issues with paying for and producing the large-scale event. Also, apparently the promise of a three-day rock and roll festival wasn't enough to engender peace in the Middle East.

The whole “artists not willing to play Israel” thing should come as no surprise to organizers, given that quite a few acts have cancelled shows there in recent years. As the Los Angeles Times points out, both Elvis Costello and The Pixies cancelled shows in Israel recently, while Stevie Wonder called off his December fundraiser for the Friends Of The Israel Defense Forces—even though it was being held in L.A.—citing the “very delicate situation in the Middle East.”