Macklemore was suddenly removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour for saying “Free Palestine” on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Since his removal, Sheeran has experienced a lot of backlash from fans. Other guest performers and his backing band have also left the tour in solidarity with Macklemore's expression of free speech. The removal of Macklemore from the Loop Tour goes against music’s foundational political backbone, and Sheeran massively mishandled the situation.
Macklemore is known for using his music to send political messages. In his hit song “Same Love,” he famously advocated for LGBTQIA+ rights and marriage equality, and one of his most successful songs, "Thrift Shop,” is a commentary on American consumer culture. If Sheeran really believes his audience does not expect a political forum, then he would not have agreed to have a heavily political and outspoken artist as a guest on his tour.
Sheeran mentioned onstage Saturday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he avoids using his platform to express his political views, and he has never wanted to be an “activist musician.”
The two cannot be separated because music is activism and is inherently political. All songs have a purpose and a message that can be picked apart, praised or criticized. Politics goes beyond the bounds of liberal or conservative; it is discussion and change. Music is a vessel for those conversations.
Removing Macklemore from the concert does not remove the conversation, but polarizes it. Sheeran said his concert is a place to unite people, but Macklemore's statement didn't divide people; his removal did. The vocal backlash from his fans shows how music is praised by audiences for its inherent politics and messages. Sheeran underestimated that from his own fans.
Sheeran claims the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour was not his, but his tour’s promoter. Sheeran's attempt to separate himself from the final decision only fuels the fire he’s trying desperately to put out. In Sheeran’s Instagram posts, he mentions Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who colluded with other stadium owners lined up on the tour to get Macklemore removed from the set after he said “Free Palestine.”
Although Macklemore’s removal was heavily influenced by the promoters and venues, Sheeran can’t pretend that the decision was completely out of his hands. It is his tour. His name is on all the posters and advertisements for this massive stadium tour. He is the one with the power and influence that is bringing the audience in, not the venue owners.
Sheeran should have called their bluff. He should have made the promoters pull the plug on a show that was bringing in profit, and if those shows really got cancelled, then he could have explained how the cancellation was fully out of his hands because of the owners. Instead, he stood by and let the promoters scare him into a decision that attempted to silence a well-respected musician and ruin his own reputation.
Music is and will forever be political. Politics and culture give music something to say. Without those factors, music would be a shell of itself. Music doesn’t even need words to have a message. Purely instrumental genres, like classical, still carry messages that spark emotion and discussion.
For example, Beethoven’s classical music has stayed relevant for centuries because of his messaging. “Ode to Joy” was inspired by Friedrich Schiller’s poem with the same name. The poem inspires unity and is an ode to freedom. Beethoven channeled this poem when writing, and the poem's meaning is reflected in the music.
Lyrics or not, music is about how it makes an audience feel. Music inspires change in culture and is a reflective background to our lives. Silencing musicians is an attack on music and art because you cannot separate art from its meaning. If Sheeran still wants people to resonate and feel through his music, he needs to be able to stand behind his career’s inevitable political messages because this backlash proves his audience already does.
Grace Schmidt is a junior studying journalism and fashion merchandising at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Grace about her column? Email her at gs326823@ohio.edu / @graceschm1dt
