Macca Rocks Tel Aviv

by Erica Morris - Thursday 2nd October 2008


Beatlemania was alive and well in Israel Thursday, when Sir Paul McCartney finally took to the stage in Tel Aviv to croon and play for more than 40,000 eager fans.

The long-anticipated performance came 43 years after the Beatles were apparently banned from playing in Israel, amid concerns that the group might morally corrupt Israel's youth.

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Those feelings were water under the bridge last week as McCartney embarked on a mini-tour of Israel, with stops at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, where the British import participated in a jam session with Palestinian children.

McCartney's arrival in the West Bank and the time leading up to the concert resulted in a media frenzy, aided by increased security concerns as the Fab One continued to receive death threats from Islamic extremists just hours before the concert was set to begin.

Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor, the brains behind Macca's trip, told the Jewish News: "Following the concert, I received a number of calls from friends who were at the gig. Each one in their own ecstatic way described the spectacular performance of the legend Sir Paul McCartney. Sir Paul's visit was a diplomatic victory over those who use threats and violence to deter a cultural icon from visiting the State of Israel. With true, loyal friends like Sir Paul McCartney, we will prevail."

McCartney's attitude seemed to be 'the show must go on', and indeed it did. Old standards were a highlight of the evening, with Beatles classics like Hey Jude and Let it Be capturing the audience's attention, while newer yunes from some of Sir Paul's solo albums rounded out the night.

The performance, which, lasted for more than two hours, included 30 songs and was jazzed up with fireworks, fire pits and huge monitors displaying images of peace and hope.

Debbie Kandel, who made aliyah from the UK in January and who attended the show at Hayarkon Park, said: "The concert was a truly unique and wonderful experience that brought together three generations of Israelis from all over the country with a shared love of the Beatles. Sir Paul had learned a few phrases in Hebrew and really seemed genuinely pleased to finally be playing in concert in Israel."

Among those phrases Macca had learnt were 'Zeh Mi Pa'am' - 'This is an oldie' -and 'Shana Tova'. It certainly seemed to be a happy start to the year for those who were at the gig.

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