Time will tell, but most music industry observers agree that profit, not politics, is king in the concert business and the uproar over Kraft and Macklemore will quickly fade. Ultimately, they say, promoters, venues, and artists are all motivated by money and thus disinclined to do anything that might hurt their bottom line, even if it means overlooking speech or behavior they object to. <\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a risky proposition for a public person to engage in meaningful debate on a contentious issue in 2026,\u201d said David Herlihy, a songwriter<\/a> and transactional entertainment lawyer who teaches at Northeastern. \u201cNeil Young wrote \u2018Ohio<\/a>\u2019 and it was on the radio six weeks after the Kent State shootings<\/a>. Today, I don\u2019t think radio would play \u2018Ohio\u2019 because they\u2019d be afraid of losing their FCC license<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n By banning Macklemore for his \u201cFree Palestine<\/a>\u201d pronouncements on stage, Kraft has taken that risk. Not only did he demand Sheeran drop the rapper as his opening act at Gillette, but the multibillionaire owner of the New England Patriots enlisted his fellow NFL owners to do the same at their stadiums. His aggressive actions shocked and upset some of Sheeran\u2019s fans and others, and there could be consequences for Kraft\u2019s business, at least in the short term.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have stadiums with 100,000 seats or whatever it is, that\u2019s a lot of seats to fill with butts,\u201d said Dean Serwin, a Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer who has represented artists, venues, and promoters. \u201cSo you want to piss off as few people as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n There are only a handful of artists popular enough to sell out Gillette Stadium\u2019s 65,000 seats, and it seems reasonable to wonder if some of those acts might now balk at performing there. <\/p>\n Kahan, who played four sold-out concerts at Fenway Park last summer, could easily sell out two nights at Gillette next summer, but does he want to do business there after seeing Sheeran\u2019s experience? The Vermont resident, who once told an interviewer he\u2019s been called \u201cthe Jewish Ed Sheeran<\/a>,\u201d hasn\u2019t commented on the kerfuffle involving Kraft, but he is one of the many artists who liked <\/a>Macklemore\u2019s statement on social media<\/a> after he was kicked off the tour.<\/p>\n A call to Kahan\u2019s manager was not returned, and executives at Live Nation, the world\u2019s largest live-entertainment company and concert promoter, also aren\u2019t talking. Currently, the acts booked to perform<\/a> at Gillette Stadium next summer are Luke Combs (May 1), Oasis (Aug. 10, 13, and 14), and Kenny Chesney (Aug. 27 and 28).<\/p>\n Serwin, the LA entertainment lawyer, said he recently attended a concert by one of his favorite artists, Paul Weller, formerly of The Jam<\/a> and The Style Council<\/a>, and there was a Palestinian flag draped over Weller\u2019s amplifier. At some point during the show, Serwin said, the singer made a brief pro-Palestinian comment from the stage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said: \u2018It\u2019s genocide<\/a>. Let\u2019s call it what it is,\u2019\u201d said Serwin, who\u2019s Jewish. \u201cThere were some boos, there were some cheers. It\u2019s really a question of the performer and their audience…I believe in free speech and freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n Most concert promoters and venue owners, even a corporate behemoth<\/a> like Live Nation, would not dare do what Kraft did, nor should they, said David Primo, a political science professor at the University of Rochester who studies brand activism.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the First Amendment, Kraft certainly can do whatever he wants on private property with regard to regulating speech,\u201d Primo said. \u201cBut the bigger question is whether he ought to be policing the speech of artists at his venue. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going to be a successful arena owner if you start checking people\u2019s politics before you book them,\u201d Primo said.<\/p>\n In other words, if the folks at TD Garden have an inkling that Albarn, of Gorillaz, intends to raise a Palestinian flag on stage when his band plays in Boston next week, they should let him. (In response to an email, a TD Garden spokesperson said: \u201cWe decline comment.\u201d) <\/p>\n While everyone agrees it is money that matters most to venues, promoters, and artists, it\u2019s also true that prospective ticket buyers will soon forget what Macklemore said and how Kraft responded.<\/p>\n \u201cThe news cycle now is nanoseconds,\u201d Herlihy said. \u201cThis too shall pass.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n