Boycott apparently kills Israel rock festival

January 18, 2013

Electronic Intifada - The Lollapalooza Israel rock festival planned for next summer appears to have collapsed just months after it was launched, and all information about it has been removed from the official website of Lollapalooza, the US-based corporate concert franchise.

Israel’s Ynet reported in Hebrew that:

    As had already been reported in December, many difficulties cropped up over the last few months in recruiting the famous artists to take part in the festival, and the production had also run into logistical and financial difficulties in its attempt to produce three consecutive days of performances at Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv’s “HaYarkon Park,” notably, is built on the ruins of the Palestinian village of Jarisha. Ynet said that the Israeli promoters, Plug Productions, posted a message on their Facebook page:

    Dear friends, we really don’t like to discuss gossip, but we will do it this time: you don’t have to take seriously everything that’s written on Ynet. If you haven’t heard it from us, you haven’t heard it at all.

The screenshot right at the top of this post shows  last month. Note “Lollapalooza Israel” in the top left corner, and the big announcement at bottom right.

The screenshot [on the official Lollapalooza website] shows the  “Lollapalooza Israel” removed, but festivals in Chile and Brazil still apparently going ahead.