I’d rather see kids go to concerts than hold guns and fight

Few days before the Creamfields concert got cancelled, I was asked by someone on Twitter to join some Facebook event asking to postpone the event because, and I quote, “Not only does the event itself signify a striking indifference/ignorance/carelessness towards the overwhelming and unfortunate incidents in the country, but it also disregards the more general danger that surrounds crowded areas and traffic conditions.”

My answer was plain and simple: Should we close down Gemmayze and Mar Mikhail pubs and restos as well? How about Hamra? Kaslik? Jounieh? Batroun? Byblos?

Going back to the cancellation of this long-awaited event, the online community was split yesterday between those who were outraged by the news, and others who were complaining that there are far more important issues to be upset about. To be honest, the frustration that was manifested by Creamfields enthusiasts is not just about the event itself, but about a certain lifestyle that is imposed on us, whereas we are forced to stay home and wait for the next car bomb to explode or the war to finish.

The truth is, we are sick of wars, bombings, assassinations and stupid sectarian clashes. We are sick of Lebanese groups interfering in other countries’ affairs, we are sick of foreign countries sticking their nose in our issues, we are sick of officials speaking on our behalf while stealing and doing nothing, we are sick of events getting cancelled because of the incompetence of some people and the deep-rooted corruption in most of the country’s institutions.

We kept partying in 2006 even though Israel was bombing us, then in 2007 and 2008 amid the political assassinations that were taking place, and we will keep partying and living life to the fullest not because we are brainless or don’t have our priorities right, but because we have the right to do so.

Yesterday it was Creamfields but it could have been Fairouz, Coldplay, U2 and many other names, and we could have had different generations frustrated and expressing their anger over Facebook, local radios or TVs, so this is not about a bunch of kids like some are portraying it. Funnily enough, a lot of people who were arguing that our political problems are more important that an event are the same who complain constantly about politics and how politicians and officials are ignoring their everyday needs.


All in all, you can’t prevent car bombs in Lebanon by banning parking lots and more importantly you won’t be doing Lebanese a favor by asking to postpone concerts and events. We need happy events, we need to spread some positive energy and we need to keep enjoying life despite what’s happening around us.

That’s why this isn’t about Creamfields only, and the F*** Yous that Gino expressed yesterday, and that I agree on, were overwhelmingly well received and widely shared.