'I'd like to dedicate this to the people of Gaza...' Paul Weller highlights plight of Palestine at London concert
Paul Weller played two sold-out nights at the Hammersmith Apollo and he used his platform to speak out against the “genocide” taking place in Gaza.
Paul Weller dedicated his song ‘My Ever Changing Moods’ to the “people of Gaza” at his concert at London's Eventim Apollo.
The Modfather has never been one to stay silent on his political beliefs and at the concert on 8 November, 2024 he took a moment to speak out about the "slaughter and genocide" that had taken place, in his opinion, at the hands of Israeli forces.
Addressing the sold-out crowd, he said: “I'd like to dedicate this to the people of Gaza and the Palestinians who have undergone slaughter and genocide for the last year and a bit, and it's continuing as well and spreading and it's just shocking. Really, really shocking that in the 21st century that this is going on. I hope everyone can be beyond our politics and religion to see how f****** wrong that is, you know what I mean? I dedicate this tune to them.”
The 66-year-old rocker also had a Palestine flag draped across his keyboard in a sign of solidarity and was taking charity donations before and after the show to help the people of Gaza.
Away from his politics, Weller treated fans to a vast setlist comprised of 28 songs from his six-decade spanning career.
He opened with ‘Cosmic Fringes’, ‘Soul Wandering’ and ‘That Pleasure’ from his two most recent albums ‘Fat Pop’ and ‘66’.
His set was littered with solo classics from the ‘90s, including 'Broken Stones', 'The Changingman' and 'Peacock Suit' as well tunes by his seminal band The Jam, which dominated the UK charts in the 1970s, such as 'That’s Entertainment' and 'Town Called Malice'.
As well as ‘My Ever Changing Moods’, Weller played ‘Have You Ever Had It Blue', ‘Headstart for Happiness’ and ‘Shout to the Top!’ from his Style Council era.
After exiting the stage with his band – which includes long-time guitarist Steve Cradock – Weller returned for an encore of ‘The Changingman’, ‘Porcelain Gods’, ‘You Do Something To Me’ and ‘Wild Wood’.
Weller and his backing band - which includes long-time guitarist Steve Cradock - came back to perform ‘Rockets’ and Jam track ‘Town Called Malice’.
Paul Weller – London Eventim Apollo – setlist:
'Cosmic Fringes'
'Soul Wandering'
'That Pleasure'
'My Ever Changing Moods' (The Style Council song)
'Have You Ever Had It Blue' (The Style Council song)
'All the Pictures on the Wall'
'Headstart for Happiness' (The Style Council song)
'Village'
'Glad Times'
'Above the Clouds'
'Out of the Sinking'
'More'
'Stanley Road'
'That's Entertainment' (The Jam song)
'Hung Up'
'Shout to the Top!' (The Style Council song)
'Start!' (The Jam song)
'Broken Stones'
'Nothing'
'Jumble Queen'
'Into Tomorrow'
'Peacock Suit'
Encore:
'The Changingman'
'Porcelain Gods'
'You Do Something To Me'
'Wild Wood'
Encore 2:
'Rockets'
'Town Called Malice'
