{"id":615982,"date":"2026-09-14T17:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T17:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/615982\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T17:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T17:38:11","slug":"macklemore-dropped-from-ed-sheerans-us-tour-after-free-palestine-speech-macklemore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/615982\/","title":{"rendered":"Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran\u2019s US tour after \u2018free Palestine\u2019 speech | Macklemore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macklemore<\/a> has been dropped from the remainder of the US leg of Ed Sheeran<\/a>\u2019s Loop tour, after the American rapper drew headlines for saying \u201cfree Palestine\u201d on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

In a brief speech between songs on 4 September, the Grammy-winning artist told the audience he wanted the people of Gaza and \u201cthe occupied West Bank\u201d to know \u201cwe have not forgotten about them\u201d, prompting a petition<\/a> from the Israeli American Council demanding his removal from the tour.<\/p>\n

Messina Touring Group, the promoter of the US leg of Sheeran\u2019s tour, told<\/a> Rolling Stone: \u201cAs the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran\u2019s US Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming US 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.\u201d Sheeran did not immediately reply to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

The Seattle-bred rapper was slated to open for Sheeran at eight of the remaining 10 shows of his US Loop tour, which will resume on 19 September in Philadelphia. The venues that allegedly objected to Macklemore\u2019s return include stadiums in that city as well as outside Boston, Atlanta, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Dallas and Tampa.<\/p>\n

Macklemore, long an outspoken<\/a> supporter<\/a> of the rights for Palestinians and those in Gaza, delivered the remarks at his first appearance on the Loop tour on 4 September. \u201cA 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: \u2018Free Palestine,\u2019\u201d he said in a two-minute speech<\/a>. \u201cI said: \u2018Free Palestine!\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alluding to possible controversy, he added that not \u201cspeaking my heart in order to keep my own comfort, and the audience\u2019s comfort \u2026 is the day that I no longer deserve to be on stage\u201d, and called US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a \u201cterrorist organization\u201d. He also showed images of the devastation from Israeli military attacks in Gaza during his protest anthem Hind\u2019s Hall, which celebrated protesters\u2019 occupation of a building they named in honor of Hind Rajab<\/a>, a six-year-old killed by the Israeli military<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n

The comments spurred the group StopAntisemitism to accuse the musician of \u201cambushing\u201d fans with \u201canti-Israel propaganda\u201d in an Instagram post that was amplified by the singer Pink. In another post, Pink explained<\/a> that she did not object to Macklemore saying \u201cfree Palestine\u201d but added: \u201cI have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I\u2019m not asking now. I don\u2019t need anyone fired, and I don\u2019t need a refund. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, \u2018that scared me, and it scared people I love,\u2019 without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I\u2019m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Israeli American Council also called for Macklemore to be removed from the tour, claiming his statements raised the question of \u201cwhere the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n

At the second of his appearances at MetLife on 5 September, Macklemore reiterated his support for Palestine<\/a> and addressed Jewish members of the audience: \u201cCriticism 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a lengthy Instagram post<\/a> on Monday morning, Macklemore confirmed that Sheeran and his team had decided to remove him from the tour, but noted that he, Sheeran and Pink were not victims. \u201cWe have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWhatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence,\u201d he added, citing<\/a> the more than 20,000 children killed in Gaza by the Israeli military since the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks by Hamas.<\/p>\n

Macklemore explained that the decision came after a week of \u201cdifficult conversations\u201d with Sheeran, a friend of 13 years whom he considers a \u201cbrother\u201d, though \u201cas I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can\u2019t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.\u201d According to Macklemore, Sheeran was under pressure from stadium owners rallied by Robert Kraft \u2013 the owner of the New England Patriots and their Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Sheeran was next slated to play \u2013 to drop Macklemore from the tour, lest the English singer be barred from their venues. \u201cEd was in a fucked up position,\u201d the rapper wrote. \u201cHe knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years,\u201d he added. \u201cSo why is it an issue now? Because now I\u2019m sharing the stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stages in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Macklemore ended his multi-page post by reiterating his call to \u201cfree Palestine\u201d: \u201cIf those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I\u2019ve ever been on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The North American leg of Sheeran\u2019s tour will conclude in November at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, which earlier this year hosted two shows by Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has a history<\/a> of<\/a> antisemitic<\/a> statements<\/a>. Tour openers Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe are set to take the stage as planned.<\/p>\n