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Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after venues object to ‘Free Palestine’ speeches
Rapper had been due to support British star at eight more US shows before venues reportedly objected to his appearance
Macklemore has been dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s US stadium tour after venues reportedly refused to host concerts with the outspoken pro-Palestinian rapper on the bill.
The decision follows controversy over Macklemore’s appearances at two shows earlier this month, where he called for a “Free Palestine”, displayed images of destruction in Gaza and performed his protest song Hind’s Hall.
Messina Touring Group, which promotes the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, told Rolling Stone that continuing with Macklemore could have put the remaining concerts at risk.
In a statement, the promoter said: As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.
“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore had been due to support Sheeran at eight of the 10 remaining shows on the US leg, which resumes in Philadelphia on 19 September and runs until 7 November.
According to Rolling Stone, venues said to have objected to his appearance include stadiums in Philadelphia, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Texas and Florida.
Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft said Macklemore’s appearances would have crossed a line for the venue, citing his recent conduct and what Kraft described as a wider history of material offensive to Jews.
Kraft said: “Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the 25 and 26 September concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
He stressed that the decision was not intended to prevent support for Palestinians, adding: “Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas.”
Kraft, who has spent years campaigning against antisemitism, added: “Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive.”
He also offered to meet Macklemore, saying their ultimate goal was “peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
Macklemore later claimed Kraft had played a central role in his removal from the tour.
In an Instagram statement, the rapper wrote: “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum – if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Macklemore said he did not consider himself or Sheeran victims of the controversy.
He wrote: “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.”
He added: “The victims are the Palestinian people.”
The row began after Macklemore performed at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 September.
Addressing the crowd, he said: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine,’
“I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
His remarks prompted criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel organisations. Stop Antisemitism accused him of confronting concertgoers with “anti-Israel propaganda”, while the Israeli American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran to remove him from the tour.
The Israeli-American community (IAC) said the petition gathered tens of thousands of signatures and welcomed the decision to drop Macklemore.
It said: “The Israeli-American community has proven that when it stands united – its voice is heard. Freedom of speech is not freedom from responsibility. Anyone who chooses to turn an 80,000-person concert into a vehicle for advancing a one-sided political agenda must stand behind that choice.
“A concert stage is not a platform for anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda.”
The organisation added: “Today, that message was heard clearly. Music unites. Propaganda divides.”
Singer Pink, who is Jewish, shared StopAntisemitism’s post before later making clear she was not calling for Macklemore to lose his place on the tour.
She said: “I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
Macklemore returned to the stage at MetLife Stadium the following night and directly addressed Jewish members of the audience.
He said: “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
The Tampa Sports Authority, which operates the venue hosting the final US stadium date, confirmed Macklemore would no longer appear.
A representative told Rolling Stone: “We can confirm Macklemore will not be performing at the upcoming show. Apart from this lineup change, the concert will go forward as planned.”
Sheeran’s Loop Tour will continue after its US dates, with concerts scheduled across Latin America until December.
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