“Thriftshop” singer Macklemore is going to have plenty of time to “pop some tags” now that he’s been booted off the bill of the inaugural Neon City Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. The singer, born Benjamin Haggerty, is learning the hard way that actions — and words — have consequences. Especially when you are so misguided as to proudly and unabashedly voice hatred for your country for all to hear and see.
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Here’s what happened: Macklemore, a Seattle native, appeared last weekend at a “Palestine Will Live Forever” concert held in his hometown alongside such notable acts as … well, nobody you’ve ever heard of. The name of the pro-Hamas festival comes directly from the antisemitic chant heard around the world this past year as unhinged leftists like Macklemore embrace the Hamas terrorists who massacred thousands of Israelis:
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.
In other words, the state of Israel needs to be wiped off the map. And there’s Macklemore, celebrating that horrible notion.
Anyway, old Ben Haggerty thought the pro-Hamas festival was the perfect time let his feelings about his country be known:
This was, apparently, to show his approval for the rabidly anti-American sentiment of the assembled crowd. We can take some comfort in the fact that he didn’t wave around a blue keffiyeh or burn the American flag … this time. For his efforts, all money raised from the concert will go to Pious Projects, HEAL Palestine, Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund and — wait for it — UNRWA. As RedState has previously reported, senior UNRWA staff have been accused of stealing humanitarian aid meant for those suffering as a result of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Those are Macklemore’s people.
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In the wake of Macklemore’s incendiary comments, two sports teams with whom he has business affiliations, are trying to distance themselves from him and the controversy. The two teams, NHL’s Seattle Kraken and MLS’ Seattle Sounders FC, made a joint statement Monday:
“We believe that sports bring people together and unite us. We are aware of Macklemore’s increasingly divisive comments, and they do not reflect the values of our respective ownership groups, leagues, or organizations,” the teams said on Monday, via KOMO News.
The subtext here is that Macklemore’s brand of politics isn’t good for business. Just ask the group formerly known as The Dixie Chicks.
It seems that the organizers of the Neon City Festival agree that Macklemore is political poison, and have removed him from the lineup of the event set to take place in November. Las Vegas is likely keenly aware that music festivals in Sin City will get extra scrutiny following the 2017 massacre that took place at a country music festival. They couldn’t have a guy who embraced one massacre — the one in Israel on October 7 — perform on the site of a previous massacre. It was the right call.
According to festival organizers, they’ve decided to go in a different direction:
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“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Macklemore will no longer be performing at Neon City Festival (NCF),” a statement released Tuesday reads. “We are excited to announce new artists joining the NCF lineup shortly.”
Macklemore is yet another in a long line of limousine liberals who happily reap the benefits of living in the greatest country man has even known, yet still harbor hatred for it. He deserves all consequences coming his way for turning his back on the United States and its ally, Israel.
