How would you feel if your favorite entertainer was performing at Donald Trump's inauguration?

This morning I was reading that Tony Orlando will be one of the featured performers at today's inauguration. EPIC!! I'm pretty sure that Dawn will be boycotting the festivities. It did get me thinking about what would I think if one of my faves played the Trump opening day gig?

Would I feel the same about Paul & Ringo? Mick & Keith? Townshend & Daltrey? Roger Waters...well nevermind about that one but you get my drift.

One of my core beliefs is the separation between politics and sports/music. I try not to let the performers views stop me from watching and cheering for my favorites. It's not always easy. If I did, I'd never be able to watch Golf and my Republican buds (and yes I have a few of those) would be stuck listening to Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and now apparently Tony Orlando. Who could deal with that? I mean c'mon...how many times can you listen to "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"? "Cat Scratch Fever"? Pffft!

I admit there are times when this belief is tested.

Two summers ago, Neil Young cancelled a concert in Israel. He said it was because he wanted to keep his fans safe due to the increased bombing going on there at that time. A good reason yes, but you couldn't help but think that he may have been pressured to join the musician's who boycott Israel.

After mulling it over, I accepted his reasons but it really wouldn't have mattered. I would have listened to his music either way. Same for Waters, Stevie Wonder, Santana and the others who have boycotted concerts in Israel. Good music is good music. Ted Nugent could come out tomorrow as a Bernie Sanders supporter and I'm still not taking out his cd's from the library and downloading them. I have standards!!

And then there's baseball......

Being a Cubs fan while they are owned by the Ricketts is hard. We've had a lot of practice for this as they were previously owned by the Tribune and before that the Wrigley's. The Ricketts just took the radical conservatism to a new and higher level. Thanks goodness for their token liberal Laura.

But you had to make a decision, give up the Cubs after a lifetime of fandom? It would have been easy in the early days of the Ricketts ownership because they sucked. Historic sucking even by Cubs standards! But then they got good. Historic good. When Kris Bryant fielded that final ground ball and tossed it to Anthony Rizzo to win the World Series it was a moment of pure joy.  You can't let your distaste for the owner's politics ruin an experience of a lifetime, can you? That didn't happen until a week later on November 8th.

See....all this is easy. Just put politics, sports and music in separate compartments and don't let them touch each other. I'd go on more about this but I need to listen to some Tedeschi-Trucks Band music to get ready for their concert tonight.

You don't think Susan and Derek voted for Trump, do you?

Here's the piece I wrote about Neil, Roger and the musical boycott of Israel.

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