Cliff Notes – Rock frontman addresses ‘deafening booing’ at Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert
- David Draiman, frontman of Disturbed, faced boos upon his arrival at Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance, prompting him to respond on social media.
- He attributed the negative reaction to a “false narrative” and defended his pro-Israel stance, labelling some audience members as “Jew hating morons.”
- Draiman has a history of controversy regarding his political views, including past incidents involving the Israeli military and public statements against figures like Roger Waters.
Rock frontman addresses ‘deafening booing’ at Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert
David Draiman has spoken out after being ‘booed on stage’ (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Disturbed’s frontman David Draiman has addressed the boos that greeted him as he arrived on stage for Ozzy Osbourne’s final-ever performance.
Performing with Tom Morello’s All Stars supergroup, Draiman, 52, was part of a rock-filled lineup at the Back To The Beginning concert at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5.
The celebration was an all-day event that also featured sets by a host of major metal bands, including Metallica, Slayer, and Alice in Chains.
When Draiman stepped on stage, he was met with boos from the crowd.
Draiman has been a controversial figure for some time due to his support of Israel, notably sparking controversy in 2024 when images were found of him signing artillery shells in Israel, reportedly intended for use by the IDF on Gaza.
Addressing the audience’s negative reaction to his arrival on stage, the singer called some of the concert-goers ‘Jew hating morons’ in a lengthy post on social media.
The singer has been open in his support for Israel (Picture: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning gig featured various artists (Picture: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
On Facebook and Instagram, Draiman said: ‘Part of the live stream of my performance at #backtothebeginning, celebrating the legacy of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath.
‘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.’
He alleged that a false narrative has been spread to try and ‘incite hatred’ and that the booing was ‘enhanced’ on some of the recordings of the performances.
He added: ‘Still coming back to the UK in the fall to what’s shaping up to be a VERY successful run, if ticket sales are any indication. And I am STILL UNAPOLOGETICALLY A FIERCELY PRO ISRAEL JEW.
‘I will ALWAYS stand up for my people, and I won’t be deterred, intimidated, or shamed out of rocking the asses of the masses. Put that in your pipes and smoke it.’
Draiman has been vocal with his views (Picture: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images)
This isn’t the first time the singer has sparked controversy because of his beliefs.
In July 2023, the singer sang Israel’s national anthem at a Disturbed concert in Tel Aviv. During the same performance, he also made a statement against Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, who has been accused of antisemitism.
‘F**k Roger Waters and all the rest of his BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] nazi a**holes — every last single one of them. We don’t need that shit. We’ve survived worse than them and we will continue surviving worse than them.’
In 2024, images were released of Draiman signing IDF artillery shells with messages such as ‘F**k Hamas.’ The move was criticised for endorsing violence and killing in Gaza.
Just recently, Draiman called out Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury – which is being investigated by the police – and saw the lead singer encourage the crowd to chant ‘Death, death to the IDF.’
Bob Vylan sparked controversy and is facing a police investigation (Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire)
‘ I just wanted to speak my mind a little bit about the events of this past weekend,’ Draiman said in a video on Instagram.
‘No one should ever use any stage at any festival anywhere in the world to incite hatred and violence against anyone. I think it’s disgusting. I think it’s irresponsible and contrary to the whole reason people get together at these festivals to begin with.
He added: ‘More importantly, just from a human perspective, what exactly do you really think you’re going to achieve here? You know, death to the IDF. Every citizen of the state of Israel has to serve. Every citizen. So you’re saying that the majority of world Jews should die, should be killed?
‘That’s what you’re saying. Good luck with that. Iran saw how easy that wasn’t so I’m not sure what you want, what you’re trying to achieve other than virtue signaling and instant fame that this selling of Jew hatred has seen to gift everyone with these days.’