In the midst of a nationwide referendum on whether or not Australians in same-sex relationships should be given the right to officially marry one another, Sydney, Australia played host to the National Rugby League Grand Final over the weekend, with Macklemore taking to the stage to perform at the event.

Macklemore is a staunch supporter of equal rightsMacklemore is a staunch supporter of equal rights

The American artist seemed to throw his weight behind the 'Yes' vote in the referendum, performing his critically-acclaimed track 'Same Love' alongside Mary Lambert as part of his set. His decision came after a petition to stop the performance reached over 18,000 signatures earlier this week, but that pressure wasn't something the National Rugby League, or Macklemore and Mary Lambert were going to give into. Even former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had called for the song to be excluded from the set. Fortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

As the pair performed, a screen behind them in the stadium lit up with messages of support for the LGBT+ community, encouraging equality in all of its forms as multicoloured balloons fell onto the audience. Fireworks and lighting also lit up the stage to show all the colours of the LGBT flag.

The decision to perform was a wise one on many levels, as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' song 'Same Love' went on to reach number one on the Australian iTunes chart. Macklemore later pledged to donate the proceedings made by this resurgence to the campaign for marriage equality.

The vote in Australia is a postal one, but even if the 'Yes' vote does get the majority of the votes in the responses given, the poll is a non-binding one and the government will have their final say.

Running for two months, the postal vote comes to an end on November 7, with early opinion polls suggesting that the majority of Australians will be voting with support of same-sex marriage.

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Macklemore's new album 'Gemini' is available now.