Concerts That Never Saw The Stage Light In Lebanon
Learning about the cancellation of a gig you’ve long been waiting for is a huge disappointment that Lebanese people got used to over the years.
Until our country becomes a nation that celebrates freedom of expression above all, here’s a list that revisits some of the recent local concerts that were called off due to social or political sensitivities:
1. Celine Dion, Byblos International Festival 2020
The Canadian Grammy winner had announced in April 2019 that she will be bringing her Courage tour to Beirut. Originally schedule for July 2020, the concert got cancelled “due to the current situation in Lebanon” as mentioned by Byblos International Festival organizers in their Facebook statement.
2. Mashrou3 Leila, Byblos International Festival 2019
The famous Lebanese indie rock band was banned from performing their show in the 2019 after the Maronite Christian Church accused its members of blasphemy and death threats circulated on social media by critics claiming to be “God’s Soldiers”.
The band known for tackling taboo subjects and supporting LGBTQ+ rights had already played two shows in Byblos in recent years, yet the festival committee decided to cancel their August 9 concert “to prevent bloodshed and preserve security”.
3. Within Temptation, Byblos International Festival 2019
After Mashrou3 Leila got pulled out of the BIF festival, Dutch rock band Within Temptation announced cancelling their gig scheduled for August 7 at the same event: “We have decided to cancel our show in Byblos in solidarity with Mashrou’ Leila and in support of tolerance, freedom of speech and expression.” Their statement also highlighted the failure of Lebanese authorities in providing security for artists to perform in peace.
4. Sepultura, The Palace, 2019
In 2019, Brazilian metal band Sepultura got denied entry to Lebanon as the general security office accused them of “devil worship”, and insulting Christianity which resulted in the cancellation of their concert set to take place on April 28 at The Palace venue in Hamra. Organizer Skull Session had later noted that all these accusations are totally untrue.
The band members expressed their dissatisfaction with the incident saying that: “In 35 years of history, it was the first time we had our entry blocked in a country by a false interpretation of our purposes and values”.
On May 2, Sepultura live streamed their concert at Hard Rock Cafe in Dubai to their Lebanese fans who missed out watching them live in Beirut.
5. Lara Fabian, Casino Du Liban, 2012
Following a boycott campaign led by BDS groups based in Lebanon, international singer Lara Fabian cancelled her 2012 Valentine tour which was originally scheduled for February 14 and 15 at Casino Du Liban.
In what she described as a letter of love for Lebanon, the Belgian-Italian artist addressed those not welcoming her in their country, where she already had the chance to sing before, saying that she “won’t come and disturb [their] quietness with [her] physical presence”.
6. Trio Wanderer, Baalbek International Festival, 2017
In 2017, French classical group Trio Wanderer cancelled their Lebanon concert one day after activists from the CBSIL website had posted a letter criticizing them for playing in what they called the “apartheid state” a year before. Festival sources confirmed the cancellation and attributed it to personal reasons pertaining to the group’s pianist.
Days later, the American rock band Toto had also cancelled their concert at Baalbek International Festival, due to serious illness affecting several band members, as stated by the festival organizers.
