‘I Can’t Wait to Perform in Israel,’ Lionel Richie Tells Fans Ahead of Tel Aviv Concert

Shiryn Ghermezian

Lionel Richie in a video message ahead of his March 2 concert in Tel Aviv. Photo: Screenshot.

American singer Lionel Richie said in a video message last week that he was excited to perform in Israel on March 2 as part of his “Hello” world tour.

“Hello Israel, this is Lionel Richie, and I can’t wait to perform in Israel for the first time ever,” the “All Night Long” singer, 70, said. “We’re going to dance all night long. So go to vote and I’ll see you on the second of March in Tel Aviv. See you then.”

The performance at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena, which was initially scheduled for September, will take place the same day as Israel’s Knesset elections and will start earlier than originally announced to avoid a conflict with the 10 p.m. publication of the exit polls. The concert was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. but will instead commence at 7 p.m.

The anti-Israel group Code Pink tried pressuring Richie in August to cancel his concert in Israel but the singer instead blocked Code Pink’s Twitter account.

The Grammy-winning singer and songwriter has been a longtime supporter of Israel and in 2013 he entertained guests at a fundraiser in Los Angeles for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), according to The Jerusalem Post.