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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sat., Nov. 23, USF Sun Dome, Tampa. Credit: Tracy May<\/p>\nMacklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sat., Nov. 23, USF Sun Dome, Tampa. Credit: Tracy May<\/p>\n
Tampa\u2019s Raymond James Stadium is among a handful of venues that will not feature Macklemore during Ed Sheeran\u2019s current \u201cLoop Tour,\u201d after the \u201cThrift Shop\u201d artist made a series of statements at recent shows in support of Palestinians and called for a \u201cfree Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a Monday morning statement shared with Rolling Stone<\/a>, the tour\u2019s promoter, Messina Touring Group, told the publication that they \u201chave 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Seattle-based rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was supposed to appear at 10 more venues, including the tour\u2019s final stop on Nov. 7 at Tampa\u2019s Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n Bobby Silvest, Tampa Sports Authority Vice President of Marketing and Communications, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay in an email that Macklemore is no longer on the roster for the upcoming show. \u201cWe can confirm Macklemore will not be performing at the upcoming show.\u00a0 Apart from this lineup change, the concert will go forward as planned,\u201d said Silvest.\u00a0<\/p>\n The TSA would not respond to questions as to why exactly Macklemore was barred from performing, but the statement comes just a few months after the publicly-funded stadium faced immense outcry and pressure from Florida politicians and the Jewish community, to cancel shows by \u201cformer\u201d Nazi and Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West, also known as \u201cYe.\u201d<\/p>\n A public records request<\/a> from CL showed that negotiations between West\u2019s camp and the TSA resulted in atypical language being added to the controversial rapper\u2019s contract, essentially making the shows almost impossible to cancel.\u00a0<\/p>\n The non-boilerplate language was requested by West\u2019s team, and included a clause that stated the TSA can\u2019t cancel the two shows \u201cbased upon artist identity, prior or past public statements, public perception, political viewpoints, or the anticipated or actual content of the performance\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n At the time, the TSA did not cite this clause as the reason for allowing the shows to proceed, and instead told multiple outlets it was bound by the Constitution to allow free speech at a publicly funded stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize the concerns and viewpoints being expressed about the upcoming events at Raymond James Stadium,\u201d said the Tampa Sports Authority in a statement to various press outlets. \u201cAs a public agency, we follow the principles of free speech in operating our venue, although we do not condone remarks or actions from any artists that are offensive and divisive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Macklemore has since released a statement, saying he was removed from the tour after billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft led a pressure campaign against Sheeran.<\/p>\n \u201cEd told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,\u201d said Macklemore on his social media.<\/a> \u201cEd 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The TSA did not respond to questions from CL asking if the organization was contacted by Kraft or anyone affiliated with Gillette Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this month, the Grammy-winning artist was performing two shows at MetLife Stadium where he performed his protest song \u201cHind\u2019s Hall,\u201d and showed concert-goers images of the total devastation of Gaza.<\/p>\n \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 said Macklemore to the audience. \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 Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n This article appears in September 10 \u2013 16, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t