{"id":904242,"date":"2026-09-24T22:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T22:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/904242\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T22:32:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T22:32:16","slug":"macklemore-announces-new-concert-dates-after-being-kicked-off-ed-sheerans-loop-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/904242\/","title":{"rendered":"Macklemore announces new concert dates after being kicked off Ed Sheeran\u2019s Loop tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macklemore has announced three new shows in a concert series raising funds for Palestinian-focused charities, after being kicked off Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour for his \u201cFree Palestine\u201d speech<\/a> and performing his 2024 pro-Palestinian protest song, Hind\u2019s Hall.<\/p>\n

The American rapper took to social media<\/a> to announce the Dublin, Paris and London shows, with a little jibe at recent events.<\/p>\n

\"PARIS,<\/p>\n

Macklemore has announced three new shows in a concert series raising funds for Palestinian-focused charities, after being kicked off Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit,\u201d he joked about the saga, that is still playing out and threatening to derail the remainder of Sheeran\u2019s US dates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He said in light of the media storm that\u2019s come from him being removed as an opening act on the English singer\u2019s US tour dates \u2013 at the insistence of billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft<\/a> \u2013 he\u2019s reached out to other like-minded artists to pull together this new concert series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it\u2019s that something has shifted over the last three years,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn\u2019t work any more. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macklemore is yet to say who will be joining him in the line-up, but after a number of Sheeran\u2019s other opening acts pulled out of the Loop Tour in solidarity with the rapper, the 43-year-old said he\u2019s been calling around.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cArtists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we\u2019re only willing to use them when it\u2019s safe.<\/p>\n

\"Singer\/songwriter<\/p>\n

The American rapper took to social media to announce the Dublin, Paris and London shows, taking a little jibe at being taken off Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour by a stadium owner.\u00a0Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also promised US dates would be announced shortly in addition to the European shows, with \u201call proceeds will benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aussie artist Tones & I \u2013 who has been at the centre of her own saga this week<\/a> \u2013 was among the musicians who added love hearts as comments to the post, as did Garbage and Kneecap.<\/p>\n

Irish singer Aaron Rowe, who was one the openers who left the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore, also commented on the post, simply using Palestinian flags.<\/p>\n

In addition to Rowe, Finneas<\/a> (aka Billie Eillish<\/a>\u2019s brother), Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish band Beoga, all left Sheeran\u2019s tour after Kraft argued Macklemore had crossed a line during his two-minute speech at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium on September 4.<\/p>\n

\"Tones<\/p>\n

Aussie artist Tones & I was among the musicians who added love hearts as comments to the post.\u00a0Instagram\/@tonesandi_<\/p>\n

Sheeran\u2019s apolitical public stance was called into question after he tried to explain to fans the decision went over his head and was not his call to make.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacklemore coming off tour was the promoter\u2019s decision, it was not mine,\u201d Sheeran told fans in a lengthy statement online.<\/p>\n

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

Sheeran went on to name Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots<\/a> NFL team, as the key man behind the decision who said he would not allow \u201chate speech\u201d inside his venue and rallied other stadium owners to follow suit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict,\u201d Sheeran said.<\/p>\n

\"Owner<\/p>\n

Sheeran named Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots NFL team, as the key man behind the decision to drop Macklemore from the tour.\u00a0Getty\/Jane Gershovich<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t have them, and it doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t care. Nor does it mean I don\u2019t support causes in my own, personal way.\u201d <\/p>\n

While Sheeran has maintained a neutral view on politics publicly, fans called out his previous support for Ukraine by performing at a charity concert as well as releasing a charity single with U2 for the same political cause.<\/p>\n

Macklemore empathised for the position his friend and fellow musician had been put in, but hit back at Sheeran for not taking a stand regardless of the cost to him.<\/p>\n

Turning talk into donations<\/p>\n

Macklemore also announced he would donate his $US1 million (1.4 million) net earnings from the Loop Tour to various pro-Palestianian organisations, challenging Kraft to match him.<\/p>\n

The billionaire businessman went on to pledge $US2 million ($2.8 million) to humanitarian relief and various charities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,\u201d Kraft said in a statement announcing the donation. <\/p>\n

\u201cI believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid the region in fighting this humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ed still reeling<\/p>\n

Sheeran, 35, returned to the stage on Saturday for the first time since the saga played out, addressing the crowd in Philadelphia while fighting back tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will say what they want, but I am doing this for you,\u201d the Thinking Out Loud singer told the crowd. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran broke down in tears as he spoke to a crowd for the first time since the controversy started.\u00a0Instagram\/teddysphotos<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you. I love this.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he has vowed to keep performing for his fans, ticket sales have taken a hit with some fans demanding refunds. <\/p>\n

At the same time, Sheeran\u2019s social media following has also taken a hit, shedding half a million followers since the controversy began.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Macklemore has announced three new shows in a concert series raising funds for Palestinian-focused charities, after being kicked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":904243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,134],"class_list":["post-904242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904242","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=904242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/904243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}