Watch: Disturbed Perform Israeli National Anthem at First Show in Israel
During Disturbed's first show in Israel Tuesday (July 2), frontman David Draiman took a moment to sing "Hatikva," the national anthem of the Jewish state. Draiman — who is of Jewish heritage — has previously expressed his "aggressive stance against" artists who boycott Israel, such as Pink Floyd's Roger Waters. (He followed that this week with a comment calling Waters "delusional.")
Perhaps those remarks fueled the frontman to deliver the reverent rendition of the tune based on a 19th century Jewish poem but set to an Italian melody from the Renaissance. Watch fan-captured videos of Disturbed's "Hatikva" performance at Rishon Lezion's Live Park down toward the bottom of this post.
The anthem wasn't the only direct connection Disturbed made with Isareli fans. Throughout the gig, Draiman spoke to the audience in Hebrew, and, at one point, even donned a shirt displaying the logo of IDF — Israel Defense Forces. "This is for all the IDF soldiers!" he told the crowd, as The Jerusalem Post reported.
"There was an immediate and undeniable connection between the band and the audience, both who were clearly waiting for this day for a long time," an Israeli concertgoer named Harry Rubenstein told the paper. “It was simultaneously a two hour onslaught of fist-pumping melodic metal, and one of the most Jewish concerts I've ever attended since I saw Anthrax play 'Hava Nagila.' Also, my face melted."
Last month, while adding to previous comments about political turmoil in the Middle East and artists' engagement with the territory, the Disturbed singer spoke of the political division he sees in his own country.
"It's not just the Trump era," Draiman offered. "The [U.S.] was divided before him, whether people want to admit it or not. I think that Trump is given too much credit. The hatred exists with or without him."
Last week, Disturbed released a new music video for "No More," a single from their latest studio album, Evolution. It accompanied word of a new live EP from the band, Live from Alexandra Palace, London, that became available June 28. See the group's upcoming tour dates here.
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