TEL AVIV, Israel, July 30 (UPI) -- Eric Burdon, the former lead singer of the British rock band The Animals arrived in Israel Tuesday, despite initially canceling the gig due to threats.
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, the 71-year-old rock legend denied he had ever thought to cancel his Israel trip despite reports a week ago claiming otherwise, Israel Radio said.
"The fact that I am here proves the point," he told reporters. Burdon took advantage of the press conference to praise the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Washington, saying while he believes and dreams for peace, "we live in a world that also knows war."
The Israeli rock band Tislam, which will perform with Burdon Thursday, also attended the press conference.
A week ago, Tislam said Burdon's manager had said the singer was canceling the show in Israel because of threats.
At the time a statement released by Burdon's manager said: "We are under increasing pressure, including many threatening emails that we are receiving on a daily basis. I wouldn't want to put Eric in any danger."
Burdon is known for songs such as "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
