Lady Gaga sought advice from White House officials before Israel gig
Lady Gaga insisted on pressing ahead with her planned show in Tel Aviv, Israel earlier this month (Sep14) after receiving assurances about her safety from top political aides in the White House.
A slew of artists, including Neil Young, the Backstreet Boys and Paul Anka, backed out of shows in Israel over the summer (14) due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but Gaga decided not to let fans in the country down and agreed to honor her commitment to play the 13 September (14) gig.
The Bad Romance hitmaker has now revealed any concerns she may have
had about visiting the troubled region were put at ease after
seeking advice from U.S. government representatives, and she is
encouraging other musicians not to shy away from the Middle East
either.
She tells the Associated Press: "I was very confident (about the
trip) based on my relationships with lots of internal, political
people. We're very lucky to have great relationships with the White
House. They let us know it would be very safe while we were there,
and I hope to share that with the world so that they know it is
safe to be in Tel Aviv right now...
"I felt a beautiful energy when I was there."