When I drew up my list of reasons why Macklemore should not be performing at the NRL grand final, the same sex marriage debate didn’t even make the top 20.
(Among the reasons: zero audience crossover; hip hop traditionally sounds rubbish when blasted in an open air stadium; it should be an Aussie artist; why does a football match have a concert element at all?; Tina Turner and Barnesy should be doing this every year, until the unhappy occurrence of their deaths, when holograms based on both artists’ late-’80s look, will replace them.)
Despite my list, Macklemore is still performing his equal rights anthem ‘Same Love’ this weekend, and — shock of all shocks — it has caused a stir in the less-moral sections of the country (you know, the moral majority, who is neither moral, nor the majority) with angry tweets directed at the artist, a petition to ban him from playing (not linking), and even ex-PM/current reprobate Tony Abbott weighing in against the idea of progressive, free speech.
https://twitter.com/TonyAbbottMHR/status/912900163991162880
Speaking on US radio show The Cruz Show, Macklemore addressed the nonsense.
“I’m actually going out to Australia to perform at kind of the Super Bowl of their rugby league,” he said.
“And it’s interesting actually cause I’m gonna play ‘Same Love’ and they’re going through trying to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia.
“So I’m getting a lot of tweets from angry old white dudes in Australia. Today I think there is a petition to ban me from playing. It’s interesting times in Australia and I’m heading on a flight over there later tonight.”
Luckily, angry old men don’t scare Macklemore.
“I’m gonna go harder, I’m going to love” he added.
