Rock and roll legend Bruce Springsteen pulled a concert venue from his lineup in Greensboro, N.C., after a new law was enacted that requires people to use the bathroom according to the gender that’s on their birth certificate. Following Springsteen’s April 8 announcement, “Summer of ‘69” singer Bryan Adams pulled the plug on his Mississippi concert date after some private businesses denied service to gay customers. Television personalities Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden and actress Jamie Lee Curtis are among others who have shared an outpouring amount of love and praise for the performers’ words on social media. But whose place is it?

Cancelling concerts seems like a weird route to go when trying to speak up and out about issues that are important. As any frequent concert goer knows, sometimes a concert in your home state doesn’t end up fitting into your schedule or maybe you and your friends want to make a little weekend trip out of it a few hours away. Springsteen and Adams penalized their fans who may not even agree with the anti-LGBT laws that are in their state. You can choose where you live, unless you’re in the military, but you always get to choose what music we like, and Springsteen and Adams overstepped their boundary as entertainers.

These celebrities have voices, yes, and cancelling their shows may have looked like they were taking a stand against the state, but why did they have to make it flashy and grand? Speaking up, without such drastic measures, and donating money to LGBT organizations would have gone just as far.

This week hasn’t been particularly good to be a North Carolinian or a Mississippian, so a little music sure would’ve been nice.

Leah Sheltry, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

Senior Leah Sheltry is the Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the 2015-2016 Colonel. She is the secretary of Youth United for Global Action and Awareness (YUGA) Club and is on the swim team. She will attend Lasell College to study Fashion Communication & Promotion next fall.