Big Thief Cancels Israel Shows amid Backlash as Venue Calls Them 'Spineless': 'We Are Sorry'
Noam Galai/Getty Big Thief
The indie rock band Big Thief has canceled two scheduled concerts in Israel amid backlash over the ongoing Palestinian conflict.
The Grammy-nominated group had previously announced shows on July 6 and 7 in Tel Aviv, the home city of bassist Max Oleartchik.
Upon announcing the shows on Friday, Big Thief said they were "well aware of the cultural aspect of the BDS movement and the desperate reality of the Palestinian people," and would be donating the profits of both shows to NGOs providing medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinian children.
"We understand the inherently political nature of playing there as well as the implications," they wrote at the time. "Our intention is not to diminish the values of those who support the boycott or to turn a blind eye to those suffering. We are striving to be in the spirit of learning."
On Thursday, however, they shared a new statement announcing that the two shows were off, and explained that a previously written line about "not knowing where the moral high ground lies" was about whether they should play the shows at all, and not about "the Israeli occupation and the displacement of Palestinians."
"To be clear, we oppose the illegal occupation and the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people," they wrote. "We believe in total freedom and self-determination for all Palestinians."
Big Thief — which also includes singer Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia — said they acknowledge that "aspects of our previous post were written unclearly and in avoidance of the magnitude and importance of this conversation," and said they "recognize there are limitations in our perspectives based on our various layers of privilege."
"Since announcing these shows in Israel we have been in constant dialogue with friends, family, BDS supporters and allies. Palestinians, and Israeli citizens who are committed to the fight for justice for Palestinians. It has been the only thing on our minds and in our hearts," the group said. "Our intent in wanting to play the shows in Tel Aviv, where Max was born, raised and currently lives, stemmed from a simple belief that music can heal. We now recognize that the shows we had booked do not honor that sentiment."
They continued: "We are sorry to those we hurt with the recklessness and naïveté of our original statement on playing in Israel and we hope those who were planning to attend the shows understand our choice to cancel them."
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BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] is a Palestinian-led movement that launched in 2005 as a means of placing "non-violent pressure on Israel," according to its website.
While Big Thief fans were supportive of the group's decision on social media, Barby, the venue they were set to play, was less happy, and aired their grievances in a statement shared to Facebook.
"You just made me sad for you bunch of miserable spineless musicians who are afraid of their own shadow," the venue wrote. "Apparently you won't enter the pages of history as influencing artists with agendas as artists of the past were. Be another band that comes and passes from the world like everyone else."
Big Thief released its fifth studio album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, in February.
