Amid concerns about the safety of concertgoers as military tension escalates, Neil Young & Crazy Horse have cancelled what was to be their first show in Israel since the 1990s, reports Rolling Stone. Over 30,000 fans had purchased tickets to the show, which was poised to take place at Hayarkon Park on July 17.
“It is with heavy hearts and deep sadness that we must cancel our one and only Israeli concert due to tensions which have rendered the event unsafe at this time,” a spokesperson for Young said in a press statement. “We’ll miss the opportunity to play for our fans and look forward to playing in Israel and Palestine in peace.”
The A Letter Home singer also said that he’ll make donations to “two organizations that teach music to Palestinian and Israeli youth simultaneously by enabling them to play music together,” the Loiuse Tillie Alpert Youth Music Center of Israel and Heartbeat.
Though he reportedly faced pressure to skip the tour stop, the concert was actually nixed by Israeli authorities due to “the current security situation,” according to a press release. A police spokesman told Reuters that the show was halted “in order not to put people in Gaza rocket range at unnecessary risk.”
Young’s tour will continue as planned on July 20 in Ulm, Germany. For more on the Pono creator, read SPIN’s recent Q&A with the man himself.
