Summer concert rumors: Beyoncé, Madonna, Britney?

It must be mid-February if local promoters are talking summer concerts.

Rumors started spreading last week about the possibility of a Bruce Springsteen concert in late July; now there’s talk of Madonna, Britney Spears and Beyoncé taking over Tel Aviv — separately — over the course of summer 2016.

Springsteen may just be wishful thinking, but Madonna is currently on a world tour and is in talks with several Israeli producers to perform this summer, reported Tourist Israel. Ditto for Britney Spears, who hasn’t yet performed in the land.

Madonna’s last Tel Aviv concert was in 2012, when she launched her world tour from Israel with 30,000 fans in attendance at the Ramat Gan Stadium.

Pop icon Madonna performs at the Ramat Gan Stadium near Tel Aviv on May 31, 2012. (AP/Ariel Schalit)

Israel Hayom reported that several Israeli producers are working together to bring superstar Beyoncé, the mega pop star they’ve wanted to host for years.

According to Israel Hayom, the producers are talking about two consecutive concerts in the first week of August, in a production that would cost $7 to $8 million.

Mercury Rev vocalist Jonathan Donahue in Tel Aviv in 2010 (Random/CC BY-SA 3.0)

One concert that is confirmed for this summer is Mercury Rev, an alternative New York band that is slated to perform at Tel Aviv’s Barby club on July 20.

The band, formed in Buffalo, New York, in the late 1980s, has had some musician switches over the years, but vocalist Jonathan Donahue and guitarist and clarinetist Sean Mackowiak a.k.a. Grasshopper, are still in the band, joined by bassist Carlos Anthony Molina and drummer Jason Miranda.

Mercury Rev has played three times in Israel and, having made ties with other Israeli musicians, had rocker Aviv Geffen open for it in France several years back.

Israeli fans, the band has said, are among the most appreciative and knowledgeable.

Mercury Rev tickets are available at NIS 199 to NIS 219 on the Barby site.