TEL AVIV, Israel – The Backstreet Boys, who had been planning to end their 145-date In a World Like This global tour with three shows in Raanana, near Tel Aviv, July 29-31, have cut the tour short and postponed those gigs. Paul Anka also pushed back shows planned for Tel Aviv July 24 and 26.
Although other big acts have performed in Tel Aviv recently, including The Rolling Stones (June 4) and Justin Timberlake (May 28), a July 17 Neil Young concert that had expected to draw 30,000 to Hayarkon Park was canceled by police less than a week before the show out of concerns from rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
As Israel ramped up its Operation Protective Edge, a military response to the kidnapping and murders of three teens in mid-June, the country has relied upon its Iron Dome counter-rocket defense system to intercept hundreds of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Even so, the U.S. state department has issued a travel warning against “non-essential travel” to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip as the battle between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Gaza Strip militants continues despite several attempts at negotiating a truce and cease fire. Hundreds of Gaza Strip militants and residents and dozens of IDF personnel have been killed as the conflict escalated this month.
Other concerts planned for Tel Aviv this year, including Lana Del Ray (Aug. 20, 2014) and Lady Gaga (Sept. 13, 2014) remained scheduled for now.
