Disturbed frontman David Draiman has hit back on social media after he faced boos from sections of the crowd at Black Sabbath's farewell show in Birmingham on Saturday.
The incident at Villa Park occurred as Draiman joined an all-star lineup for the band's Back to the Beginning event, with the hostile reception linked to his vocal support for Israel.
Draiman later claimed the media had exaggerated the booing, telling The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that "there was a bit of it walking out there, but I still had the crowd pumping fists, clapping hands and singing along."
The farewell show at Villa Park drew 40,000 attendees for what Ozzy Osbourne declared would be Black Sabbath's final performance, with the band playing hits including War Pigs, Iron Man, and closing with Paranoid.
Ozzy Osbourne played his final gig at Villa Park over the weekend
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Draiman performed as part of a supergroup featuring guitarists Jake E. Lee and Adam Wakeman, Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin, ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.
The singer, sporting a Star of David chain, performed Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf and Ozzy Osbourne's Shot in the Dark during the day-long celebration that included appearances from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Soundgarden and numerous other metal legends.
By Sunday night, Draiman had taken to X to address his critics, calling those who booed him "Jew-hating morons" and accusing the media of "generating clickbait, and inciting hatred of Jews."
In a series of posts, he fumed: "As you can see, I wasn’t 'booed off stage' as so many people in the press and CERTAINLY #FreePalestine crowd, would have you believe."
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Disturbed were invited to perform as part of the Black Sabbath farewell
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Acknowledging the reaction from his opponents in the crowd, he continued: "Yes, there were a few boos when I walked out, but I came to pay homage to my teachers, my idols, the mighty Black Sabbath, and I wasn’t about to let a few Jew hating morons deter that. It’s all about feeding their narrative, generating clickbait, and inciting hatred of Jews.
"There’s even a track being passed around out there that added enhanced booing to the performance just to add fuel to the fire. Pathetic. The live stream shows the truth. Both songs went over great."
Taking aim at the subsequent coverage of the gig, Draiman hit out: "You wouldn’t know that from some of the media however, who are only too eager to roast marshmallows next to this dumpster fire of a bulls*** story. Oh well. Still here."
He signed off: "Still coming back to the UK in the fall to what’s shaping up to be a VERY successful run, if ticket sales are any indication. And I am STILL UNAPOLOGETICALLY A FIERCELY PRO-ISRAEL JEW.
Disturbed's David Draiman fired back at his critics after being booed at the gig
X
"I will ALWAYS stand up for my people, and I won’t be deterred, intimidated, or shamed out of rocking the asses of the masses. Put that in your pipes and smoke it." (sic)
The controversy stems from Draiman's recent actions supporting Israel, including sharing a photo of himself signing IDF artillery shells with the inscription "F*** Hamas".
His appearance came a week after "Death to the IDF" chants at Glastonbury Festival by punk band Bob Vylan.
Draiman has also previously reached out to Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong to discuss the "Israeli/Jewish side" of the Middle East conflict.
The Villa Park crowd booed Draiman once he took to the stage
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Comments on his X post ranged from support to criticism, with one user writing "Nobody hates you because you're Jewish. They hate you for signed bombs", whilst another stated "Have you ever heard of a song called War Pigs?"
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