Fadel Shaker Hosts First Concert After More Than 14 Years

Turki Al al-Sheikh, chairman of the board of directors of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced the return of Lebanese artist Fadel Shaker to public concerts, with a show in Riyadh as part of the Riyadh Season festivities. Al al-Sheikh wrote on his X account: “Many have asked about him, and many have awaited his return… The renowned artist Fadel Shaker will meet his audience in Riyadh after a long absence,” announcing that the concert will take place at the Abu Bakr Salim Theater on October 22. He noted that tickets for the event will go on sale on Wednesday evening. Fadel Shaker’s return to the stage comes after many years of absence, which were marked by his withdrawal from public view amid legal cases stemming from the Abara events in Sidon in 2013. Over the past years, various judicial rulings and decisions were issued against him; after the military court acquitted him in 2018 of charges of direct participation in fighting during the Abara events, convictions and accusations remained in other cases, before a 22-year prison sentence was handed down in absentia against him in 2020.