Macklemore's Bold Statement on Stage Shakes Up Ed Sheeran's Tour
Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour after the rapper yelled “free Palestine” onstage at a recent show.
Rolling Stone reported Monday that several venues notified the tour’s promoter that they would not allow the “Thrift Shop” hitmaker to perform.
Messina Touring Group, promoter of the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour told the outlet in a statement: “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,” the company added.
Macklemore, born Benjamin Haggerty, was slated to join the “Perfect” crooner at eight of 10 of their remaining US concerts.
The venues that reportedly declined to have the three-time Grammy winner take the stage include the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida; the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis; the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina; the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Page Six has reached out to reps for both Sheeran and Macklemore for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Earlier this month, Macklemore, 43, joined the Loop Tour, performing two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sept. 4 and 5.
The “Can’t Hold Us” emcee rapper yelled, “Free Palestine,” during the first show and also said that he stood in solidarity with people in Gaza who have been displaced and lack sufficient shelter, clean water, food, life-saving medical services and more due the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
“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,’” Macklemore told the crowd at MetLife.
“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,” he added.
Rolling Stone reported that he also showed images of the devastation in Gaza and performed his protest song, “Hind’s Hall.”
The 2024 track is named after Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza.
Macklemore’s comments sparked backlash from pro-Israel groups such as StopAntisemitism, which accused the “Glorious” rapper of trapping concertgoeres with “anti-Israel propaganda.”
Singer Pink also spoke out about the remarks, saying that she is not asking for the artists to be “silenced” or “fired,” but as a Jewish mom, she said Macklemore’s speech “scared” her and her loved ones.
Last week, Macklemore spoke out about the critcism, saying on Instagram: “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
Sheeran, 35, has not publicly addressed the drama. His tour is set to continue with a show in Philadelphia on Saturday.
