Photo-illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images (Earl Gibson III/Deadline, Gilbert Flores/Billboard)
If you’re a musician stuck in a political PR nightmare, ask Jack Antonoff for advice. In an interview with The GuardianAntonoff said he believed Ed Sheeran had missed a “huge, beautiful opportunity” to support free speech and Macklemore. Last month, Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft threatened to cancel Sheeran’s Loop Tour if he didn’t remove Macklemore as opener; Macklemore had voiced his support for Gaza during his first set, and Sheeran gave in to Kraft’s demands. “If you think it’s (controversial), you’re lost in another sauce that’s so crazy. They’re going to let a fucking promoter tell me what I can say? Don’t hire me. I’ll play outside for free. (Ed Sheeran) missed a huge, great opportunity there: just cancel the whole fucking tour, then play for free outside of every venue, raise a lot of money, rather than let a fucking billionaire tell you what do,” Antonoff said. “The reason this isn’t an anomaly or a niche problem is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do. So stand up.” Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium were ultimately canceled due to inclement weather.
Antonoff said The Guardian he had expressed support for Palestine long before the Sheeran controversy but “felt much more emboldened to say it now”; he changed the lyrics of a song to include “Free Palestine” during a concert in Berkeley on September 17. In the interview, he added: “This is in no way a strange, uncomfortable or controversial thing to say, it’s a deeply human thing to say. »
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