Following several rumours that Sir Elton John would be performing in Israel sometime in 2016, the British singer/songwriter confirmed Monday that he will play Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park on May 26, 2016.
It will be his fourth time performing in Israel.
The performance – slated to last nearly three hours – will be part of John’s Wonderful Crazy Night Tour, which is also the name of his forthcoming new album, the follow-up to 2013’s The Diving Board.
Tickets for John’s Tel Aviv performance went on sale early Tuesday morning, with lawn seats selling for NIS 329 (CAD$117), silver seats for NIS 695 (CAD$247), and NIS 1,155 (CAD$410) for the VIP area.
John’s last performance in Israel took place in 2010 when he played Ramat Gan Stadium, prior to which pro-Palestinian activists urged him to cancel.
On stage, John told some 45,000 fans in attendance, “Shalom, we are so happy to be back here! Ain’t nothing gonna stop us from coming, baby! Musicians spread love and peace, and bring people together. That’s what we do. We don’t cherry-pick our conscience.”
John also performed in Israel in 1979 and 1993.
Sir Elton will also headline the 2016 Life Festival in Oswiecim, the Polish town where the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was located, in June.
