US rapper will no longer perform as the opener on‘s U.S. Loop Tour.
A staunch advocate for the Palestinian cause in the years since the genocide began in 2023, Macklemore made an impassioned “Free Palestine” speech during a concert on September 4th at MetLife stadium in New Jersey.
He told the crowd:
“A 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: ‘Free Palestine.’ I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ 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.”
In an exclusive statement shared with , Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, said:
“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have 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.”
Macklemore followed up his speech with a performance of his track ‘Hind’s Hall’, as images from the years-long, systematic destruction in Gaza were emblazoned across the stadium screens.
Since the speech, backlash has ensued from pro-Israel groups in the US. StopAntisemitism accused the rapper of projecting “anti-Israel propaganda” in an Instagram post, which the .
The rapper from Seattle, Washington was scheduled to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has left on his tour, which will resume on September 19th in Philadelphia.
Since the news broke of his removal from the tour, Macklemore has released a statement on .
“What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because now I’m sharing the stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, “Free Palestine” becomes too much of a risk. If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me.”
Representatives for Ed Sheeran and most of the venues have not yet responded.