For instance Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,” Jimmy Webb’s “Galveston,” U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” and Neil Young’s “Ohio.”
But when artists veer from the concert venue into the political arena things can get messy, particularly with the political divisions that have become so wide in recent years.
A few years ago, The Dixie Chicks lost the support of many country music fans when they criticized President George W. Bush while performing a show overseas.
Now country singer Tim McGraw is feeling the heat from his traditional conservative fan base because he has agreed to headline a July 17 concert in Connecticut to benefit Sandy Hook Promise, an organized created after the elementary school shooting that left 20 students and six staff members dead. The group’s purpose: to protect kids from gun violence.
Critics call McGraw, a gun rights supporter, a hypocrite for lending his considerable talents to what they see as an assault on the Second Amendment.
McGraw responds that while he is an advocate of gun ownership, he also recognizes that such a right comes with the responsibility to educate and train shooters about safety. He can’t understand why anyone would have a problem with promoting child safety.
Rocker Ted Nugent doesn’t have any problem sharing his blunt anti-Democratic Party opinions from the stage. While I don’t agree with his partisan rants, I do like his music and admire the work ethic that earned him his success in the music business.
Tim McGraw also has a right to express himself and follow his heart without any threats to his livelihood.
I think we all just need to turn down the political sensitivity and enjoy the music.