Pro-Palestinian groups including BDS Jordan have demanded the cancellation of Andrea Bocelli's November 27 concert at Petra over the Italian tenor's public support for Israel — but the show, part of his "Romanza" 30th anniversary world tour, is going ahead as planned.
The boycott call
The campaign broke on October 7 via AFP. BDS Jordan urged Jordanians: "We call on you to boycott Andrea Bocelli's concert because of his long-standing public support for the Israeli enemy... Do not buy tickets! Demand... the cancellation of the concert." The group called it "unacceptable for Petra — one of the most iconic sites in Jordan and the Arab world — to become a platform for someone who has raised funds for the occupation army."
The "Israel ties" cited are real and long-standing: Bocelli performed for 20,000+ fans at Tel Aviv's Bloomfield Stadium in 2022 and told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he would choose Israel as his home; he headlined the Masada Opera Festival in 2010 and sang at a Los Angeles fundraiser for a group supporting the IDF; in 2008 he performed in Tel Aviv for the 10th anniversary of the Shimon Peres Center for Peace; and in 2023 he sent a letter supporting the freeing of hostage Yaffa Adar.
The show goes on
Neither Bocelli nor his team has publicly responded to the boycott call. But the concert — organized by the Friends of Jordan Festivals Association in partnership with the government-linked Jordan Tourism Board — remains on sale, with no tickets withdrawn. Organizer executive director Souha Bawab called it a chance to "showcase Jordan to the world" and "reinforce its status as a destination that combines heritage and cultural experiences."
Bocelli, 68 and blind since age 12, has sold some 90 million records with 25 billion streams, winning a Golden Globe, seven Classical Brit Awards, seven World Music Awards, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
A familiar fault line
The row lands on one of the culture war's most contested fault lines: whether artists should be judged — and punished — for where they have performed and whom they have praised. Boycott supporters see performing for Israeli audiences and leaders as legitimizing occupation; opponents see the cancellation demand as punishing a musician for concerts, not crimes.
The takeaway: on November 27, one of the world's most famous voices will sing in front of Petra's Treasury — and the only question left is whether the seats are full of music lovers, or half-empty in protest.
Sources: Arab News · Malay Mail · Roya News
Watch: YouTube coverage of the boycott calls against Andrea Bocelli's Petra concert
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0