Disturbed Frontman David Draiman Responds To Being Booed At Black Sabbath's Final Show

David Draiman, the frontman of the metal band Disturbed, was one of many artists who performed in honour of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne on Saturday (5 July).

However, when he first strode onto the stage, he was met with audible boos from the audience which could also be heard on the Back To The Beginning concert livestream.

It’s possible that Draiman was booed due to recent social media posts in support of Israel in its ongoing war in Gaza, in which leading genocide scholars from around the world – including Israel, the USA, UK and Australia – stated that they were unanimous in their view that Israel’s campaign of bombing and starvation in Gaza constitutes the crime of genocide.

Israel has repeatedly denied it is committing genocide in Gaza, including late last year, when Human Rights Watch and Médecins Sans Frontières accused Israel of genocidal acts and ethnic cleansing in the territory.

Draiman has posted that he doesn’t believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, but in June 2024, he shared a post on social media that spawned division amongst his fanbase when he signed an Israel Defence Forces bomb with a message that read, “Fuck Hamas.”

On Monday (7 July), Draiman took to social media after he was booed at the concert, stating that he wasn’t “‘booed off stage’ as so many people in the press and CERTAINLY #FreePalestine crowd, would have you believe.”

Acknowledging that there were a few boos when he first appeared on stage, Draiman continued to pay homage to his heroes by performing the Ozzy Osbourne song Shot In The Dark and Black Sabbath’s Sweet Leaf.

Draiman added that he wasn’t “about to let a few Jew hating morons deter that” and claimed that those booing and any negative publicity surrounding his performance was about “feeding their narrative, generating clickbait, and inciting hatred of Jews.”

He continued, “The live stream shows the truth. Both songs went over great. 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 bullshit story.”

Draiman concluded his post by stating that Disturbed would soon return to the UK for a “VERY” successful run and that he is “unapologetically a fiercely pro-Israel Jew” who will “ALWAYS stand up” for Jewish people.

“I won’t be deterred, intimidated, or shamed out of rocking the asses of the masses,” he wrote, before signing off: “Put that in your pipes and smoke it.”

Head here to see The Music’s highlights from the Back To The Beginning concert, which included surprise performances from Yungblud, Steven Tyler, and stunning performances from Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

Disturbed returned to Australia in March 2024, co-headlining last year’s Knotfest Australia alongside Pantera and playing a sideshow at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. The shows marked Disturbed’s first Australian performances in eight years.