Israeli metal fans boycott Metallica concert
According to Metal Israel, a number of Metallica fans in Israel have vowed to boycott the band's May 22 appearance at Ramat Gan stadium in Tel Aviv after the concert's promoter, Marcel Avram, announced that he would charge no less than 600 shekel (around $159 based on the current exchange rate) for the cheapest seats, with the floor seats costing double that amount. A Facebook page has been launched in an effort to bring attention to this issue and over 540 fans have reportedly already "committed" to boycotting the show.According to Metal Israel, "the initiators of the boycott state that Metallica tickets do not cost nearly as much as this in the rest of the world and assert that the promoter is trying to take advantage of loyal Metallica fans. They propose that tickets should cost from 300 to 600 shekel, depending on the quality of seat - prices that are still high for the Israeli metal scene (international bands come to Israel all the time and tickets generally run in the 175-250 range)."
This will be Metallica's third visit to Israel; they appeared at the Amphi Park in Rishon Letzion in 1999 and Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park six years earlier.
Metallica wrapped the first leg of the jaunt at the end of January in Brazil, resuming in early March with stops in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Panama and Colombia.
