BREAKING NEWS: Macklemore has officially been dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour following the backlash to his Free Palestine speech at MetLife Stadium. Tour promoter Messina Touring Group said upcoming venues had informed them they would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which could have resulted in cancellations. He had been scheduled to open eight more shows. I was at MetLife Night One, and after posting part of his speech, one response kept appearing in my comments: “Just sing.” But music has never existed in a vacuum. From Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye to Bob Dylan, John Lennon, punk, hip-hop and generations of protest music, artists have always responded to the world around them. You don’t have to agree with an artist’s politics. You can disagree, feel uncomfortable or walk out. But the idea that politics suddenly entered music in 2026 ignores a huge part of music history. Sometimes art makes us uncomfortable. Sometime...