Beatles Paul McCartney Israel Concert Success Despite PR Failures
By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem, Israel --- September 26, 2008 ..... He made them smile. All 40,000 fans attending former Beatles Sir Paul McCartney concert last night in Tel Aviv lived a dream. For most, the 150 to 1,500 USD prices McCartney tickets were way too expensive for those in Israel where the average wage is 1,500 per month. But for those lucky few who were able to attend, they were treated to a magical, historical and cultural treat that brought them back to the innocent warmth and sunshine of the 1960's.
Paul McCartney did not have an easy road on his trek to Israel.
In 1965, when Israel did not yet have television and public entertainment consisted mainly of kibbutz songfests, the Beatles were booked for a concert here.
But because of a rivalry between two local Israel producers led to an official government decision to ban the Beatles.
As the Israel government committee said at the time:"The Beatles have an insufficient artistic level and cannot add to the spiritual and cultural life of the youth in Israel."
Then in the late 1970s, McCartney concerts with his post-Beatles band Wings were canceled due to problems with the venues.
In January of this year, the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter from its London embassy to the two surviving former Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, asking forgiveness for the "missed opportunity" to have the band that "shaped the minds of a generation, to come to Israel and perform before the young generation in Israel who admired you and continues to admire you." It was an invitation praying that Paul McCartney would help celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary.
And then as dates and places were finally being confirmed for September 2008, Israel cell phone operator Partner backed out of financing the event. In the following hours, the upfront costs for the McCartney concert were taken over by businessman Yakir Sha'ashua and Israel show promoter Dudu Zerzevsky. Sha'ashua owns an aviation company specializing in private jet and helicopter services for VIPs, as well as a real estate company active in Britain, the United States and Russia. For David (Dudu) Zerzevsky is was the realization of a dream for a man who has been producing musical shows in Israel for over 20 years.
Then as the McCartney show was finally confirmed, Islamic clergy in Lebanon threatened Paul McCartney's life declaring that he would be greeted in Israel by suicide bombers.
Syria born Bakri, 48, stated: “I heard today that the pop star Paul McCartney is playing as a part of the celebrations.
“Our enemy’s friend is our enemy. Thus Paul McCartney is the enemy of every Muslim. We have what we call ‘sacrifice’ operatives who will not stand by while he joins in a celebration of their oppression. If he values his life Mr McCartney must not come to Israel. He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives will be waiting for him.”
An Israel security analyst responded that : "McCartney is considered an infidel, as all non-Muslims are. As such the penalty is death. Those who attacked the World Trade Center seven years ago in 9/11 were attacking "infidels" in mass and did not even care to consider how many peaceful Muslims would be murdered as they were working with the infidels. What separates McCartney now from the common man, is that he has taken his creative genius one step beyond music. By coming to Israel, Sir Paul McCartney has become an icon for democracy, freedom, peace and liberty. Whatever accomplishments McCartney may have achieved as a Beatle are now small compared to risking his life for the very basic principles of democracy and free speech. The man is truly a hero."
The "Friendship First" concert, as the McCartney Tel Aviv show was labeled, is part of a series of one-off gigs in places where Paul McCartney has never visited before. Recently McCartney performed in Quebec City, Canada, and in the Ukraine for the first time.
McCartney flying on his private jet slipped into Israel in the early hours of September 24 to avoid journalists.
And then again in another act to avoid journalists, McCartney staged a news conference at the Dan Hotel for the morning of September 24. While dozens of journalists and photographers waited hours for McCartney to arrive, they had no idea that Arbel Communications of Tel Aviv, had lied to them about a news conference as McCartney was actually touring both Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Arbel then fell down a second time, when they abandoned the VIP and press entrance to the Tel Aviv concert at Hayarkon Park.
According to security personnel at the entrance over 40 journalists and TV crews with valid press credentials from North America, Europe and Asia were turned away. Many of these journalists had flown into Israel to cover the McCartney concert.
For McCartney, nothing was more important than delivering his message of peace and unity for Israel and Palestine. According to Dudu Zerzevsky, McCartney was hands on with every detail related to the concert. But McCartney's own PR people in London, had lost control of the public relations. Not knowing which local press were important they retained Arbel Communications in Tel Aviv, an Israel PR firm which knows nothing other than the Hebrew language press and has no experience in international Internet marketing, public relations and Web 2.0.
Stuart Bell, of the Outside Organization, McCartney's PR people in London tried to regain control.
In the end it appears that they were successful in opening the gate for all journalists while Arbel was nowhere in sight. As such the Israel News Agency, which had interviewed the producers of the McCartney show just days prior were unable to record and upload video of the McCartney concert to Google News, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and several other online channels reaching millions 24/7 worldwide. The INA apologizes to its readers for this account.
Arbel's negligent behavior was typical of Israel PR which for decades has ignored the foreign press. Arbel may know the words The Jerusalem Post, but nothing more than that. Only recently has the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israel Ministry of Tourism caught up with modern and effective PR for Israel. But neither of these Ministries were involved with McCartney's concert. If they had been, every foreign journalist carrying an Israel government issued press card would have been invited to cover the McCartney concert with pleasure. And the concert may have sold out more tickets, perhaps up to 70,000.
The steep price of the tickets combined with unprofessional local public relations and a total lack of Internet PR and marketing, seems to be the key reasons the show wasn't sold out. Michael Gould, a local trumpeter who says he played with the Beatles as a studio musician on several albums, including Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, said he would have loved to have gone to the show, but simply didn't have the money. Tickets ranged from about $150 to $1500.
"I really can't afford it," said Gould, 70. He said he was holding out hope that McCartney might invite him, but said it was unlikely since they only briefly crossed paths four decades ago. "He wouldn't know me even if he fell over me," he said. You know how many people he met?"
Paul McCartney took the stage appearing confident and relaxed. McCartney wore a pink shirt and an early-Beatles-style black suit made by his fashion designer daughter Stella, 37. As the master showman that he is, he made immediate contact with the audience who were sitting on white plastic bleachers and on the grass. Everyone had an excellent vantage point to the show and McCartney made sure of that. McCartney wanted every fan to enjoy both the sound and visuals at their very best. He also made sure that there was no price gauging on the sale of water, that there were enough portable toilets in the field and that public transportation would still be available at the end of the concert.
The first few tunes McCartney sang did little to wake up a quiet and staring audience but once McCartney started to sing early Beatles tunes such as "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude" the crowd began to roar. Although off note from time to time, McCartney continued with the famous "Imagine" tune for which he and John Lennon penned. Then the audience was treated to a fireworks spectacle which was in synch with the song "Live and Let Die."
Both McCartney and the Israel crowd understood that his aging 60's voice was not the reason why either were there. Though McCartney was in tune most of the time, it was the mere presence of this legendary god of music and peace that made the night sparkle.
Singing "Give Peace a Chance," McCartney stopped and let the audience sing the chorus alone. "Here tonight you sang it, you want it," the 66-year-old artist said. He dedicated the song to his fellow Beatle, John Lennon, who was assassinated in New York in 1980.
McCartney, who greeted the crowd with a mixture of English and Hebrew, wishing them "shana tova," happy new year, added "Ramadan kareem" in Arabic, a greeting to Muslims, who are now celebrating their holy month.
A small group of Palestinians had urged McCartney to cancel the show, saying it was supporting the Israel occupation of the West Bank.
During a visit to the biblical town of Bethlehem on Wednesday, McCartney brushed off the criticism.
"I get criticized everywhere I go, but I don't listen to them," McCartney said. "I'm bringing a message of peace, and I think that's what the region needs."
Though his current girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, 48, was in attendance, McCartney, 66, dedicated the song "My Love" to his late wife, Linda. He also paid tribute to his late bandmates George Harrison and John Lennon during the concert, which was filled with Beatles music.
McCartney and Shevell (who were together in London last week) took a trip to Bethlehem, where they lit a candle for peace at the Church of the Nativity. McCartney announced, "This candle is for peace for people all round the world – especially Israel and Palestine."
As the McCartney show came to it's end, not one of the 40,000 moved for the exits. McCartney then placed his hands to his head as a father to his children and said that it was time for everyone to go home. To go to sleep. The crowd roared back a loud and cheerful "no."
It was not easy for McCartney nor this loving Jewish audience to call it a day. Both had enjoyed and shared tears together with powerful tunes which reawakened warm and soft memories from days past. Love songs which had been shared by millions of lovers the world over with glasses of wine and slow dances everywhere from Manchester, New York and Paris to Montreal, Tokyo and Melbourne.
Even the gods were with Sir Paul McCartney as 24 hours after the start of his open air show in Tel Aviv, Israel, the first rains of winter are now pouring down on the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. Each raindrop could easily represent a tear for the love for which Sir Paul had brought to Israel in a peaceful and humanitarian effort. And as the flowers blossom and the trees once again turn from brown to green one could look up, smile and say that Paul McCartney was responsible for this new life.
The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Group.
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