The \u201cThrift Shop\u201d rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, was one of multiple opening acts for Sheeran\u2019s LOOP Tour at the 80,000-seat stadium in East Rutherford on Friday, Sept. 4, and Saturday, Sept. 5.<\/p>\n
But Macklemore\u2019s set went beyond the music, as he addressed the crowd about Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank to know that we have not forgotten you,\u201d Macklemore said. \u201cI believe that every human being walking this earth deserves the exact same freedom, to know safety and peace before knowing the sounds of violence, and to know the sound of laughter on the playground before planes and bombs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Macklemore said he would not let fear or concerns about his or the audience\u2019s comfort stop him from speaking his mind. He then called for a \u201cFree Palestine, free Cuba, the Congo, Sudan and Iran,\u201d and denounced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a \u201cterrorist organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
He performed his protest song \u201cHind\u2019s Hall,\u201d a reference to Columbia University protests, as images from Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations appeared across the stadium screens. Macklemore delivered a similar performance Saturday.<\/p>\n
Video from the shows captured cheers, but other concertgoers and organizations pushed back:\u00a0The Israeli-American Council launched a petition on Sunday, Sept. 6, calling on Sheeran and LOOP Tour leadership to remove Macklemore from the remaining tour dates.<\/p>\n
\u201cEd Sheeran – do not allow your stage to be used to divide people or spread one-sided political propaganda!\u201d<\/p>\n
StopAntisemitism also called for apologies and refunds:\u00a0\u201cImagine paying $500+ to see Ed Sheeran only to be ambushed by Macklemore\u2019s relentless anti-Israel obsession.\u00a0Fans deserve apologies and refunds. Unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
New York City father Josh Wein said on X that he brought his wife and two daughters to Friday\u2019s show as \u201chuge fans\u201d of Sheeran. The family spent $180 on merchandise before leaving their seats during Macklemore\u2019s performance, Wein said:\u00a0\u201cThen Macklemore decided to turn your concert into his political rally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wein said he initially hoped Sheeran\u2019s team had been caught off guard Friday. Macklemore\u2019s return Saturday changed his view:\u00a0\u201cYou knew exactly what Macklemore had done the night before, and you gave him the stage again.\u00a0Friday might have been Macklemore\u2019s decision. Saturday was yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bill Abate Jr. said on X that he attended Saturday\u2019s show with his girlfriend and 34 guests in a company suite. Abate, who said he is not Jewish but some of his guests are, described himself as \u201cembarrassed\u201d and \u201cshocked\u201d and said he would no longer support Macklemore\u2019s music.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery sadly you were complicit in allowing it to continue on Saturday evening,\u201d Abate wrote to Sheeran.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re better than this, Ed Sheeran. Do what\u2019s right here.\u201d<\/p>\n