When Disturbed’s outspoken pro-Israel singer David Draiman walked out onstage at the Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning farewell show on Saturday to a smattering of boos, he defiantly responded “We gonna start this?”
Draiman was referring to the source of the boos, his unabashed support for Israel and the IDF, which a week before had been the subject of ‘Death to the IDF’ chants at the Glastonbury Festival by punk band Bob Vylan.
Things were different at the Birmingham tribute to the heavy metal pioneers, as Draiman, sporting a Star of David chain around his neck, performed as part of an all-star jam, singing Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Shot in the Dark,” backed by current and former members of Anthrax, Megadeth, Guns N’ Roses, and more.
The boos were exaggerated by press
“The press exaggerated the boos,” Draiman told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. “There was a bit of it walking out there, but I still had the crowd pumping fists, clapping hands and singing along.”
Draiman, who was one of a couple dozen guest performers at the gala concert, called the event a “surreal” gathering of “so many that I learned so much from over the years, so much talent, such a legacy that Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne have! “It brought tears to my eyes to watch Ozzy sing “Mama I’m comin home” one last time.”