July 3, 2012
There’s something to be said for bald faced pandering to a local crowd at a rock and roll show. But, when you’re as big a band as Guns N’ Roses (thinks it) is, you need to bring your A-game. Take, for example, their recent show in Tel Aviv, at which GnR guitarist Bumblefoot (“Please, call me ‘Bumble’. Mr. Foot is my father”) lead the crowd in a rousing rendition of…Hatikvah?
That’s right. Hatikvah. The Israeli national anthem, based on a 19th century poem originating from deep within Austro-Hungary. Real rock and roll, you guys!
In fairness, Bumblefootstein—born: Ronald Jay Blumenthal—does an admirable job striking a guitar-god pose and the Israeli crowd seems to love every second of it, all the way into the opening to GnR’s classic “Don’t Cry”. Who knows, if he’s not too gun-shy after the critical failure of “Chinese Democracy,” perhaps Axl will start work on his next big-concept album, “Israeli Theocracy,” to be released sometime in the early 2030′s.
