A poster for the London date of Macklemore\u2019s Free Palestine tour.<\/p>\n
All Sheeran\u2019s remaining support acts subsequently dropped out of the tour \u2013 Irish songwriter Aaron Rowe, Billie Eilish\u2019s older brother Finneas and Danish band Lukas Graham \u2013 alongside the Irish trad group Beoga, who were to accompany Sheeran for portions of the show.<\/p>\n
Macklemore posted on Instagram alongside his tour announcement: \u201cIf these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it\u2019s that something has shifted over the last three years. There 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 anymore. 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<\/a> 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 On his solo return to the stage in Philadelphia on 19 September, Sheeran read an apology about \u201cmaking mistakes\u201d from a teleprompter. \u201cI don\u2019t want to disappoint fans, and I\u2019ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Small groups of fans protested outside the venue, with some of them having sold their tickets in protest. Other concertgoers said they were sticking by the musician. A tearful Sheeran told the crowd: \u201cEveryone is telling me to cancel, and I\u2019m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me and I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven\u2019t abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n In the days since the controversy kicked off, Sheeran is estimated to have lost almost half a million followers across social media, according to data from Social Blade reported by the Independent<\/a>.<\/p>\n Macklemore\u2019s statement continued: \u201cSo, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.\u201d He said he had been using his time to contacts \u201cartists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we\u2019re only willing to use them when it\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n No further lineup details have yet been released for Macklemore\u2019s tour. Macklemore\u2019s tour will begin in Dublin on 26 October. Two of Sheeran\u2019s former support acts are Irish and many Irish musicians have been outspoken in their support for the Palestinian people, citing their own country\u2019s history of occupation and oppression, as Rowe did in his statement<\/a> explaining his departure from Sheeran\u2019s tour:<\/p>\n \u201cAs Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,\u201d Rowe wrote. \u201cI need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n The list of organisations to benefit from the concerts has been shared: Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, Heal Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children\u2019s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians. Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children\u2019s Relief Fund and UNRWA USA.<\/p>\n A press release said that these organisations \u201crepresent the array of work in support of Palestinian people. That includes medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, community support, advocacy, organising and media work connected to Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n Further dates in Paris (29 October) and London (30 October) have been announced, with North American dates to follow. Fans hoping to get tickets are encouraged to sign up for presale access at macklemore.com.<\/p>\n![\"Ed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1256.jpg\")
Ed Sheeran sorry for \u2018mistakes\u2019 as tour resumes \u2013 video<\/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,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n