Jewish metal singer booed for supporting Israel at Black Sabbath show

At Black Sabbath’s farewell event held July 5 at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, the guest appearance of David Draiman—the Jewish lead singer of the metal band Disturbed—became the center of a public controversy.

Draiman, 52, who was invited to participate in a celebratory tribute show alongside major names from the metal world, took the stage to perform Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Shot in the Dark.”

Before he could sing a single word, loud boos erupted from the audience, continuing throughout his performance. According to reports and testimonies from the event, the booing did not stem from Draiman’s musical performance but as a reaction to his political positions and open support for Israel, especially since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Draiman did not remain indifferent and addressed the crowd from the stage, asking, “Are we going to start with this now?"—a clear message that he would not bow to criticism.

Despite the charged atmosphere, he continued his performance, refused to surrender to hatred, and completed his part in the show alongside senior musicians from bands Anthrax, Megadeth, Faith No More, Extreme and others.

The storm did not end in the venue. Earlier this week, Draiman shared a series of particularly sharp tweets on X with his millions of fans, writing, “As you can see ... I wasn’t ‘booed off stage’ as so many people in the press and CERTAINLY #FreePalestine crowd, would have you believe. Yes, there were a few boos when I walked out, but I came to pay homage to my teachers, my idols, the mighty Black Sabbath, and I wasn’t about to let a few Jew-hating morons deter that. It’s all about feeding their narrative, generating clickbait and inciting hatred of Jews.”

According to his claim, the live broadcast from the event showed positive reactions from the audience, and he emphasized, “There’s even a track being passed around out there that added enhanced booing to the performance just to add fuel to the fire. Pathetic. The live stream shows the truth. Both songs went over great. It’s truly pathetic when people peddle lies.”

Draiman did not settle for self-defense and went on the attack. “I will ALWAYS stand up for my people, and I won’t be deterred, intimidated, or shamed,” he clarified.

Draiman, considered one of the prominent voices in world metal since the 1990s, maintains close ties with Israel. In recent years—and especially since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023—he has become one of the most prominent musicians in the world expressing public, consistent, and articulate support for Israel and the IDF. He has visited the country several times, met with hostage families, connected with Yarden Bibas after his return from captivity and his family’s funeral, published videos in Hebrew, and even signed IDF artillery shells with the inscription “F**k Hamas.”

His positions are not received in silence. He suffers attacks from anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian audiences; some colleagues distance themselves from him, and some boycott him. Despite this, he refuses to apologize or remain silent. “I can’t stay quiet. I won’t lose my soul for the entertainment industry,” he said previously, assailing artists such as Roger Waters and Kanye West for their antisemitic positions.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.