Colin Meloy Takes a Stand Against "Freebird"

A word of advice for the next time you see The Decemberists: Don’t yell out “Freebird!”

Colin Meloy hates “Freebird,” or at least the tired practice of ironically requesting the 21st century Confederate anthem. I found this out the hard way after responding to the Decemberists frontman on Twitter this past weekend.

I’m not usually one to respond to Twitter celebrities, but when he asked for setlist requests, I couldn’t help myself.

I wasn’t expecting an answer, but he did respond, almost immediately:

Meloy called out my e-faux pas. I am one of the many affected by the “Freebird” epidemic. Moreover, I had never heard of MACOF. Turns out, Meloy holds board membership on MACOF, which stands for ‘Musicians Against the Calling Out of “Freebird.”’ He claimed executive status within the organization in 2006, after fellow uneducated fans would request the classic-rock anthem.

MACOF also has a Facebook group with 337 members and counting, complete with a brief history of the cause. The description reads as follows: “First introduced on March, 1st 2006 by Colin Meloy, this facebook group with be the first major steps to bring an end to the masses requesting Freebird at concerts. This is a serious issue facing today’s culture. How can musicians around the world ever feel appreciated when people throw out a request as appalling as Freedbird at concerts?” MACOF’s wall is a lively one too, acting as a sounding board for staunch Meloy supporters and an educational resource for the uninformed. You can peruse a handful of MACOF Facebook posts in the gallery below.

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