Frontman David Draiman gave a speech about unity at Disturbed’s show in Amsterdam on Tuesday night, after the band was banned from performing a show in Belgium that was scheduled for the following night.
As previously reported, safety risks over Draiman’s pro-Israel stance led Charles Spapens, the mayor of the Brussels municipality of Forest, to nix the October 15th concert. Spapens expressed concern about potential protests around the venue during a time when there are limited police forces in the wake of a national strike. Apparently, photos posted in 2024 of Draiman signing Israeli artillery shells with the words “Fuck Hamas” had a major influence on the decision.
Draiman has faced accusations of condoning genocide ever since, though he hasn’t backed down from his beliefs, declaring himself an “unapologetically fiercely pro-Israel Jew” in a statement after he was jeered during his appearance at Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” concert.
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In the wake of the Brussels cancellation and a new cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Draiman is calling for unity and acceptance. In his onstage speech in Amsterdam, the singer stressed that people from all walks of life are welcome at Disturbed concerts, including Israelis and Palestinians.
Stepping to the center of the stage, surrounded by his bandmates, Draiman told the crowd at the Ziggo Dome (as transcribed by The PRP):
“Look at these beautiful people. I brought my brothers up here with me because collectively, we’d like to try and say something to not just you, but to the whole world. There have been certain people out there that have been trying to put words in our mouths, trying to make you think that they know what we think about things that are going on in this world.
So instead of listening to the people who can’t stop talking about everything that they’re so angry about all of the goddamn time, we’re going to tell you from our own mouths how we feel, okay? We in Disturbed are all about unity, Okay? We’re all about no matter who you are, no matter what walk of life you walk, no matter where you come from, no matter how much money is in your pocket, you are welcome at these shows. you understand that?
It doesn’t matter if you’re a believer, or a non-believer. It doesn’t matter how you identify it. None of those things matter, okay? And all of the noise of this world, all the anger that so many people try and instill in us. All the people in this world who benefit so much from pitting us against each other, we refuse to be defined by those people. The noise of the world doesn’t define us. The conflicts that are going on in this world don’t define us, because in this building, there is no fucking conflict.
And it doesn’t matter if you’re Chinese or Taiwanese. It doesn’t matter whether you’re Indian or Pakistani, it doesn’t matter whether you are Israeli or Palestinian. Everyone is welcome in our house every fucking time we take the stage. Now there is no one, no one, in the world, okay? That is celebrating this long-awaited moment and chance at real peace that we have [more than me.]
And to show the world that all the noise doesn’t matter, that all the people that try to pit us against each other don’t matter. I want you to do something for me. I want you to go ahead and take the hand of the person that’s standing next to you — every single fucking person in this arena — and I want you to raise those hands in the air, each one of you, grab the hand of the person standing next to you. Raise those hands to the sky. There is no one that gets to define us, except us, my brothers and sisters, my blood. Look around. You see my friends? Sometimes darkness can show you the light.”
Disturbed have seven more dates on their European/UK run, which features support from Megadeth. A concert in Munich, Germany, is next up on Friday, with the tour concluding in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 28th. Get tickets here.
You can watch David Draiman’s speech during the Amsterdam show below.