Jealous Again
Should artists have the freedom to express their political or social views even when they are controversial or disturbing to members of the community that supports them? This issue came to the forefront recently when rock band the Black Crows set off a firestorm during a Tampa concert. At the center of this conflagration is the debate over whether or not musicians and other artists should be using their soap box to express political ideologies. Given that I am a writer who pens a blog espousing pointed social and political commentary, I am sure you can guess where I come down on this one, though perhaps not quite with some of the nuances that might attach to it.
The incident in question occurred during a May 31, 2026 Black Crows performance at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. The band displayed their crow mascot dressed as Uncle Sam on the big screen. In response, the audience began chanting “U.S.A.!”, to which Chris Robinson, the Crows outspoken lead singer, flung back, “Thanks for the geography lesson,” adding, “I don’t know what you have to be so proud of right now.” The remark was a clear dig at the Trump administration, in line with Robinson’s similar comments on other media platforms. Some folks in the audience, particularly service members, took umbrage at Roninson’s anti-American sentiments and booed vociferously, causing him to double down, “Boo all you want to motherfuckers! Boo away! Some of us have real faith. And for those of you fucking booing us, some of us are not afraid. And we most assuredly are not fucking ignorant!” Several attendees were offended by the comments and walked out before the concert ended because, you know, hurling profane epithets at your fanbase- often not a crowdpleaser.
While Robinson has since taken to social media to downplay the incident and clarify that he meant no disrespect to military service personnel, he has also refused to retract his comments and insisted that he was merely exercising his first amendment right to free speech. Some fans of the band have renounced their support for the Black Crows going forward, including one fan who promised, “I will never listen to the Black Crows again nor will I ever see them at a concert ever again and I was a fan!” Many have been suggesting that musical artists should not be injecting their personal opinions into the fray of political debate and contention, with one X user asking, “Can we just go to a show, enjoy the performance and escape politics for two and a half hours?” Politics, they suggest, has no place in art, and musicians should keep their personal political views to themselves and simply shut up and play.
The same, of course, has been said of actors and athletes like George Clooney, Lebron James, and Michael B. Jordan. Detractors suggest that these high-profile celebrities should stay mute about their personal beliefs. But isn’t that just the point of having such a platform? Isn’t it the most American thing possible to exercise our free speech and avail ourselves of the stage that might be granted to us? After all, artists, including musicians and actors, make their living sharing their perspectives and feelings on love, life, and everything else. But suddenly they are supposed to just shut the fuck up when a microphone is thrust in front of their face?
What it comes down to for most folks is really whether or not they agree with the speaker in question. Some of the major opponents of artists espousing political opinions struggle with it because the vast majority of athletes, musicians, and actors have viewpoints contradicting their own. That’s because you just don’t find a whole lot of MAGA in the entertainment world. But when you do, suddenly, they are all for it. Where was that same outrage from MAGA folks when Clint Eastwood spoke at the Republican National Convention or Jason Aldean released “Try That in a Small Town”? Yeah, what I am looking for here is a clear standard that transcends the line of whether or not I agree with the viewpoints you are sharing.
The line here for me is that artists and athletes have every right to make use of the platform their notoriety affords them. As audience members, we, in turn, have the right to boo them or tune them out. If you take exception to what a musician says or does, don’t go to their concerts, don’t buy their albums, stop buying their merch. Or just go to the show and boo them when they start going off on a rant that offends you. Either way, you have your rights and they have theirs.
In fairness, I don’t often have to contend with this ethical incongruity. It’s not like I am just itching to listen to more Kid Rock or Lee Greenwood. And I am fine if I live the rest of my life without ever again seeing Charlton Heston scream, “Get your hands off me, you dirty ape.” But I have written previously about my distaste for Eric Clapton’s personal ideologies. He has, during one drunken on-stage rant, chanted the slogan “Keep Britain White!” and was vocally anti-vax during the Covid pandemic. That said, I would go see him in concert anytime. And if he opted to start opining from the stage, I would respect his right to express his point of view and then exercise mine by shouting him down and booing him.
Yes, the world favors those who have the microphone in their hand. Perhaps that’s why I write this silly thing in the first place. But we can’t fault those who use that microphone just because it isn’t given to us or we don’t agree with them.
Steven Craig is the author of the best-selling novel WAITING FOR TODAY, as well as numerous published poems, short stories, and dramatic works. Read his blog TRUTH: in 1000 Words or Less every THURSDAY at www.waitingfortoday.com
