Bruce Springsteen will one day perform in Israel, according to the local concert
scene’s dean of promoters Shuki Weiss.
“I can say with full confidence
that a Springsteen show will take place in Israel,” said Weiss in an interview
with
The Jerusalem Post that will appear in Friday’s
Jerusalem Post
Magazine.
Every time Springsteen and the E Street Band launch a mammoth
tour of Europe and don’t include a Tel Aviv show in their itinerary, the rumors
swirl surrounding possible boycott issues, but Weiss, who has promoted hundreds
of shows over the past 35 years, blamed the inability to bring the Boss to
Israel on logistics.
“It’s not a financial consideration or any other
consideration – when it happens, it will happen. Our communication with his
management is excellent, and there have been three times that we were so close
to closing a deal,” said Weiss.
Springsteen is launching his 2013
European jaunt on April 29 in Oslo and will play over 20 shows around the
continent before winding down on July 23 in Cardiff, Wales.
An online
Facebook petition started in Jerusalem urging Springsteen to add an Israel date
to the tour has garnered nearly 2,000 members, but Weiss said that the
considerations are more complicated than simply adding another
date.
“Like many touring acts, his time in Europe is restricted... and
we’re not a very big market. To play in Israel, you’re looking at a loss of days
– in the time it takes to fly here, set up, play one or two shows and fly out,
you could perform four nights in a row in Europe.”
Weiss cited intensive
efforts and contacts spanning many years before shows here by the Red Hot Chili
Peppers and Depeche Mode came to fruition.
“These big tours have so many
factors – the manager, the band, the agent, production manager, the routing –
it’s so hard to coordinate between all those elements. But it happened with the
Chili Peppers and it will happen with Bruce.”