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| Bruno Mars was looking forward to his second Tel Aviv concert when the Hamas attacks occurred. |
Bruno Mars fans can breathe a little easier. Mars and his band are safe after being forced to evacuate from Israel because of attacks by the terrorist group Hamas.
Because of the Saturday surprise attacks killing thousands of people, the Filipino American performer, his band and an entourage of 60, were forced to cancel a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv and flew to Athens.
Days earlier, Mars' performed in front of a sold-out concert at Tel Aviv's Park HaYarkonn stadium. He was set to return to another sold-out crowd on Oct. 7.
After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a declaration of war after the surprise attack early Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, Live Nation Israel, organizers of the concerts, issued a statement that the concert was canceled for safety concerns.
The biggest surprise of the night came toward the end of the evening, when Mars took a brief break offstage and his keyboardist, John Fossit, played an instrumental version of the very timely classic Israeli children’s song, “Shlomit Bona Sukkah,” (Shlomit builds a sukkah) by Naomi Shemer, as the surprised and delighted crowd sang along, reports The Times of Israel.
After the trip to the Middle East, Mars is scheduled to return to the US for concerts in Florida followed by a run in Las Vegas where he'll perform through New Year's Eve. Mars, who just celebrated his 37th birthday, continues his world tour in January 2024 with seven concerts in Tokyo.
Because of the Saturday surprise attacks killing thousands of people, the Filipino American performer, his band and an entourage of 60, were forced to cancel a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv and flew to Athens.
Days earlier, Mars' performed in front of a sold-out concert at Tel Aviv's Park HaYarkonn stadium. He was set to return to another sold-out crowd on Oct. 7.
After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a declaration of war after the surprise attack early Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, Live Nation Israel, organizers of the concerts, issued a statement that the concert was canceled for safety concerns.
Ticket holders to the canceled concert will be refunded, according to a statement from Live Nation Israel.
The evaduation happened so quickly that Mars reportedly left his band equipment behind in Israel forcing the cancellation of the upcoming concert in Doha, Qatar.
The evaduation happened so quickly that Mars reportedly left his band equipment behind in Israel forcing the cancellation of the upcoming concert in Doha, Qatar.
The expert showman didn't disappoint in his first first-ever concert in Israel.
“Tel Aviv!” he shouted out to the exuberant crowd of more than 60,000 packed into Yarkon Park to see the performer’s first-ever show in the Jewish state. “The Hooligans (his band) have made it to Israel.”
“We’ve heard stories about this place, we heard that you sweat and we heard that you dance… we’ve been waiting a long time to play for you,” he declared as the crowd roared their approval. From that moment on, he had the Israeli audience in the palms of his hands.
“Tel Aviv!” he shouted out to the exuberant crowd of more than 60,000 packed into Yarkon Park to see the performer’s first-ever show in the Jewish state. “The Hooligans (his band) have made it to Israel.”
“We’ve heard stories about this place, we heard that you sweat and we heard that you dance… we’ve been waiting a long time to play for you,” he declared as the crowd roared their approval. From that moment on, he had the Israeli audience in the palms of his hands.
The biggest surprise of the night came toward the end of the evening, when Mars took a brief break offstage and his keyboardist, John Fossit, played an instrumental version of the very timely classic Israeli children’s song, “Shlomit Bona Sukkah,” (Shlomit builds a sukkah) by Naomi Shemer, as the surprised and delighted crowd sang along, reports The Times of Israel.
After the trip to the Middle East, Mars is scheduled to return to the US for concerts in Florida followed by a run in Las Vegas where he'll perform through New Year's Eve. Mars, who just celebrated his 37th birthday, continues his world tour in January 2024 with seven concerts in Tokyo.
The current conflict has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis. Dozens of Israeli citizens were kidnapped and are being held hostage by Hamas, an extremist group that controls the terretories known as the Gaza Strip and West Bank where Palestinians are allowed to reside.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge.
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