Cat Power Calls Off Israel Concert

Hey, have you heard that Israel can be pretty controversial? Although singer Cat Power had a concert scheduled in Tel Aviv next Monday, she has announced via her Facebook that the show will not go on. She wrote, “DUE TO MUCH CONFUSION IN MY SOUL,PLAYİNG FOR MY İSRAELİ FANS W/SUCH UNREST BETWEEN İSRAEL&PALESTİNE I CAN’T PLAY,AS I FEEL SICK IN MY SPIRIT XX.”  Of course, plenty of Israeli fans are pissed that they already paid for tickets, but other fans are praising Cat Power for taking a stand.

Refusing to play in Israel, or cancelling an already-booked show, is nothing new for musicians. After the Gaza flotilla in 2010, Elvis Costello and Carlos Santana called off shows that they had booked in Israel. Other artists who have cancelled Israeli concerts include Vanessa Paradis, Jello Biafra, Jon Bon Jovi, and Devendra Banhart (who, fun fact, used to date Israel-born Natalie Portman).