". . . every performer has every right to say whatever they want to. . ."

Well, within limits. If I was hired to play in the pit orchestra for a Broadway musical and decided to express my political beliefs to the audience, I would be way out of line and should expect to get fired and probably blacklisted. But in general, yes, if you invite a concert performer in for a concert, you should expect them to do their show, in whatever way they see fit.

But here's a question: What about a performer who doesn't tell the venue that they are going to do a political show, and then shows up and does one? I strongly disagree with whoever seemed to imply that we should expect some politics with our folk music when they said that the current folk music revival came out of social activism. The only songs that social activism inspired are social activism songs, which are a small drop in the barrel that is folk music. I've been playing folk music for most of my adult life, and would be considered by most to be a revivalist, and can count the political songs I've done on the fingers of one hand. And all of them are historical "war is hell" sort of songs.

I dislike most political songs, not because of their politics but because most of them are so very bad. Political art of any kind, if the political message is more important than the artistic integrity, usually stinks. I really don't care what artists think about politics, if they are telling me about it from the stage or on the wall of a gallery. I'd probably enjoy sitting with them and talking politics, but if I am trying to see art I would prefer that it exist for its own reasons, not as a vehicle for someone's social agenda. This has always struck me as a prostitution of art. If you want to talk politics, why not just talk politics? If you want to play music, why not just play music? If you like a political song for it's musical merits, sure, go ahead and do it. But if you are choosing it because you believe in its message more than its music, I'd rather not have to listen.

John Peekstok