Ed Sheeran, Macklemore and Oasis

 

Music, Controversy and Concerts

Reading

Music is usually about entertainment, but famous musicians can also become involved in politics and business. Two recent stories about Macklemore, Ed Sheeran and Oasis show some of the problems in the modern music industry.

Macklemore was a support act on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour in the United States. During a concert in New Jersey in September 2026, he spoke in support of Palestine and performed his protest song Hind's Hall. His comments caused a strong backlash. Some people criticised him, while others defended his right to express his political opinions.

Macklemore was then dropped from the remaining US concerts. He said that pressure from venues had helped cause the decision. Sheeran said that removing Macklemore was not his decision and that he wanted his concerts to remain politically neutral. Several other performers left the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

The situation raised questions about artistic freedom. Should musicians be able to talk about politics during concerts? Should promoters be able to remove artists because of their opinions?

At the same time, Oasis announced two concerts in Barcelona on July 10 and 11, 2027. The concerts will take place at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

However, getting tickets will be unusual. Fans must register and choose up to three cities. Successful fans are selected randomly and receive a code to enter the ticket sale. Registration does not guarantee a ticket, and a code does not guarantee that tickets will still be available.

Oasis previously faced criticism for dynamic pricing, when ticket prices increased because of high demand. The new Barcelona tickets have fixed prices from €85 to €255.

These two stories show that modern concerts are about more than music. They involve artists, fans, promoters, money, politics and questions about freedom and fairness.

1. Vocabulary and Definition Match

Match the words with their closest definition.

WordDefinition
1. controversiala. To sign up for something
2. support actb. To promise that something will happen or be available
3. backlashc. Not supporting one side or opinion
4. droppedd. A negative reaction from people
5. solidaritye. A performer who plays before the main artist
6. neutralf. Chosen by chance, not by choice
7. registerg. To be removed from something
8. randomlyh. When many people want something
9. demandi. Showing support for another person or group
10. guaranteej. Causing disagreement or strong opinions

2. Vocabulary and Synonym Match

Match the words with their closest synonym.

WordSynonym
1. artistic freedoma. business-related
2. backlashb. changeable
3. accessc. the right to create and express yourself
4. withdrawd. promise
5. commerciale. criticism
6. controversialf. enter or use something
7. dynamicg. disputed
8. guaranteeh. leave or pull out

3. The Two Stories

Macklemore and Ed Sheeran

  1. What did Macklemore do during the concert in New Jersey?
  2. Why did some people criticise him?
  3. What happened to Macklemore after the concert?
  4. What did Ed Sheeran say about the decision?
  5. Why did some other performers leave the tour?
  6. What does this situation tell us about music and politics?

Oasis in Barcelona

  1. When will Oasis play in Barcelona?
  2. Where will the concerts take place?
  3. How are successful fans selected?
  4. Does registering guarantee a ticket?
  5. What is dynamic pricing?
  6. Why might fans think fixed prices are fairer?

4. Fill in the Blanks

Word Bank

backlashguaranteedynamicneutral
registerdroppeddemandrandomly
controversialsolidaritywithdrawaccess
  1. The singer received a lot of __________ after making his political comments.
  2. You must __________ before you can enter the Oasis ticket process.
  3. The fans were chosen __________.
  4. The singer was __________ from the remaining concerts.
  5. High __________ can make concert tickets more expensive.
  6. The organiser wanted to remain __________ and not support either side.
  7. The company could not __________ that everyone would get a ticket.
  8. Several musicians decided to __________ from the event.
  9. The artist received support from other musicians in __________.
  10. The new system gives fans better __________ to the ticket sale.
  11. Dynamic pricing can be very __________ because ticket prices can change quickly.
  12. The singer's comments were __________ and caused a lot of discussion.

5. What Would You Do?

Situation A – A Political Artist

You are organising a large music festival. One of the singers wants to make a political speech during their performance.

Some people think musicians should be free to express their opinions. Others think concerts should only be about music.

What would you do? Why?

Situation B – An Artist Is Dropped

You are organising a concert and an artist makes comments that cause a strong backlash. Some sponsors say they may leave if the artist performs.

Would you keep the artist or remove them? Why?

Situation C – Oasis Tickets

You really want to see Oasis in Barcelona. You register for tickets, but you are not selected.

Your friend gets a ticket and offers to sell it to you for three times the original price.

What would you do? Why?

Situation D – Dynamic Pricing

You want to buy a concert ticket for €100. When you return to the website ten minutes later, the price is €180 because many people are trying to buy tickets.

Would you still buy the ticket? Why or why not?

Situation E – Fair Ticket Prices

You are organising a very popular concert. You can sell tickets at €100 each, or you can use dynamic pricing and charge more when demand is very high.

Which system would you use? Why?

Situation F – Supporting a Musician

A musician you like is removed from a concert because of something they said outside the concert.

You strongly disagree with what the musician said, but you think they should still be allowed to perform.

Would you support the musician? Why or why not?

Situation G – Your Own Concert

You are organising a concert for 10,000 people, but 50,000 people want tickets.

You can either:

  • sell tickets randomly,
  • sell them to the people who register first,
  • or increase the prices.

Which system would you choose? Why?

Situation H – Political Messages

You are attending a concert. Before the show starts, the artist asks everyone to support a political cause.

You agree with the cause, but you bought the ticket because you only wanted to enjoy the music.

How would you react?

6. Discussion

  1. Should musicians talk about politics during concerts?
  2. Should artists have complete artistic freedom?
  3. Can a concert really be politically neutral?
  4. Is it fair to remove an artist because of their political opinions?
  5. Should concert tickets have fixed prices?
  6. Is dynamic pricing fair?
  7. Why do people pay very high prices to see famous musicians?
  8. Should everyone have an equal chance to buy popular concert tickets?
  9. What makes a concert successful?
  10. Do you think concerts are becoming more about business than music?

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