{"id":895200,"date":"2026-09-17T10:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/895200\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T10:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:28:17","slug":"macklemore-called-for-free-palestine-at-second-metlife-stadium-show-after-nfl-owners-were-allegedly-assured-he-wouldnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/895200\/","title":{"rendered":"Macklemore called for \u2018Free Palestine\u2019 at second MetLife Stadium show after NFL owners were allegedly assured he wouldn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macklemore chanted \u201cFree Palestine\u201d <\/a>after NFL owners hosting Ed Sheeran\u2019s stadium tour were allegedly assured that the rapper wouldn\u2019t mention it when he took the stage for his second show at MetLife Stadium.<\/a><\/p>\n

Concert promoters for Sheeran\u2019s \u201cLoop Tour\u201d told several team owners that the \u201cThrift Store\u201d artist wouldn\u2019t continue using his set for his anti-Israel rants following his outburst in New Jersey on Sept. 4, the Wall Street Journal reported.<\/a><\/p>\n

The team owners,<\/a> who had booked Sheeran for a night of entertainment at their own stadiums, warned the promoters that the tour would be barred from its scheduled dates if Macklemore didn\u2019t clean up his act, as they didn\u2019t want to host a political rally with hate speech, according to the outlet<\/p>\n

Macklemore wears a keffiyeh around his neck as he performs during his concert opener at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on Sept. 4. Alec Gearty<\/p>\n

Some of the owners named were New England Patriots\u2019 Robert Kraft, Carolina Panthers\u2019 David Tepper, the Atlanta Falcons\u2019 Arthur Blank, and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.<\/p>\n

In his first show at MetLife on Sept. 4, Macklemore,<\/a> clad in a black-and-white keffiyeh, called for \u201cfree Palestine\u201d as he focused on the war and for \u201cevery single human being\u201d to have freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence. To know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs. For parents to be able to say bye to their parents in the morning and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time that they kiss their child goodbye,\u201d he said. So I say Free Palestine. I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear over this terrorist organization ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he took the stage the next night, the rapper victimized the woke Ivy League students who had besieged their Manhattan campus for two weeks in the Spring of 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cFree Palestine. I want those words to be clear so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them. This next song was inspired by the bravery of the Columbia University students, who led an encampment movement that mobilized the entire world, opening up hearts \u2014 myself included,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFree Palestine\u201d images are displayed on a screen during Macklemore\u2019s opener for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026.<\/p>\n

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had led the charge in keeping Macklemore out of remaining concerts with Ed Sheeran after his remarks at MetLife Stadium. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The 43-year-old, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, also performed his track \u201cHind\u2019s Hall,\u201d a reference to the pro-Palestine protests at the Columbia University campus<\/a>, as images from Gaza were displayed on the screen behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to stand up here on stages across America and say two words that are near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,\u201d the Grammy-winning rapper said as he wore a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders.<\/p>\n

The owners allegedly hounded Messina Touring Group, which is promoting the US leg of Sheeran\u2019s Loop Tour, to pull Macklemore from the remainder of the shows or face Sheeran\u2019s concerts being canceled, the outlet reported.<\/p>\n

Some of the owners named were Carolina Panthers\u2019 David Tepper, the Atlanta Falcons\u2019 Arthur Blank, and Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie.<\/p>\n

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Other venues that threatened to cancel shows were Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., Rolling Stone<\/a> magazine previously reported.<\/p>\n

Macklemore was ousted from the tour on Monday.<\/a><\/p>\n

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft led the calls for removing the rapper, talking to Sheeran, with whom he shares a personal relationship.<\/p>\n

The 85-year-old told the English pop star during a 40-minute phone call that he wouldn\u2019t host Macklemore at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the Wall Street Journal reported.<\/p>\n

Kraft told the singer that Macklemore\u2019s rhetoric was hate speech and not freedom of speech and didn\u2019t discuss the main issue with the conflict in the Middle East \u2013 Hamas.<\/a><\/p>\n

The owners allegedly hounded Messina Touring Group, which is promoting the US leg of Sheeran\u2019s Loop Tour, to pull Macklemore from the remainder of the shows. Alec Gearty<\/p>\n

Macklemore victimized the woke Ivy League students who had besieged their Manhattan campus for two weeks in the Spring of 2024.<\/p>\n

The US-designated Iranian-backed terrorist group has governed Gaza since 2007 and launched the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel<\/a> that killed over 1,200 people, with hundreds of others taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real,\u201d Kraft said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally \u2026 designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran, who has kept quiet about his personal beliefs, supported Macklemore, pinning the blame on the promoters and stadium owners and not himself. Theo Wargo<\/p>\n

Kraft said Macklemore\u2019s rhetoric was hate speech and not freedom of speech and didn\u2019t discuss the main issue with the conflict in the Middle East \u2013 Hamas. @itssavsdiary via Storyful<\/p>\n

All other openers for Sheeran; Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga; dropped themselves from the tour<\/a> in solidarity with the problematic rapper.<\/p>\n

Sheeran, who has kept quiet about his personal beliefs, supported Macklemore, <\/a>pinning the blame on the promoters and stadium owners and not himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacklemore\u2019s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,\u201d he wrote on Instagram Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue\u2019s and promoter\u2019s decision was final,\u201d Sheeran wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kraft has since extended an olive branch<\/a>, saying he would \u201cwelcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rapper had accused the billionaire of being the reason he was booted from the tour.<\/p>\n

Kraft announced he would donate $2 million to Palestinian relief efforts alongside Sheeran\u2019s own Both follow Macklemore\u2019s announcement to give $1 million of his tour earnings.<\/p>\n

Sheeran is still scheduled to perform at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday before journeying up to Gillette Stadium for two nights on Sept. 25 and 26.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Macklemore chanted \u201cFree Palestine\u201d after NFL owners hosting Ed Sheeran\u2019s stadium tour were allegedly assured that the rapper…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":895201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,15595,14661,464273,593,40469,85,3780],"class_list":["post-895200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-billionaires","tag-ed-sheeran","tag-macklemore","tag-nfl","tag-robert-kraft","tag-sports","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=895200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/895201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}