“Equality for all!”
Macklemore performed his hit single Same Love, a pro-marriage equality anthem, for thousands at the Australian National Rugby League final on Sunday in the face of backlash and multiple attempts to censor him.
Some conservative Australians believed the song, one of the rapper’s most popular tracks, was too political to perform while the country is taking part in a postal plebiscite on same-sex marriage.
Former NRL player Tony Wall said the event would be “very difficult to watch” with his kids if Macklemore performed Same Love, while former PM Tony Abbott tweeted that sports fans “shouldn’t be subjected to a politicised grand final”.
But that didn’t stop the rapper from performing the track for thousands at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, accompanied by rainbow pyrotechnics and screens with the message ‘We stand for equality’ displayed on them.
He rounded off the performance by declaring: “Equality for all!”
Performing Same Love at the #NRLGF was one of the greatest honors of my career. Thank you @NRL for the opportunity & supporting equality
— GEMINI (@macklemore) October 1, 2017
Mary Lambert, who recorded vocals on the original song, also joined Macklemore for the performance.
“Performing Same Love in Australia is not about being political,” she said in a statement issued to The Advocate last week. “It’s about being human.”
And it seems that plenty of Australians agree with the message, as the song hit number one on the country’s iTunes singles charts following the bigoted backlash.
Watch the moving performance below:
Same Love – @macklemore feat. @marylambertsing#NRLGF#NRL pic.twitter.com/TAhaZFjKZk
— NRL (@NRL) October 1, 2017
