Photo Credit: Macklemore (@macklemore / Instagram)
Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour following his controversial “free Palestine” speech during his opening set on September 4.
Earlier this month, Macklemore made headlines for his controversial “free Palestine” speech during his opening set for Ed Sheeran’s show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4. Since then, the backlash has included cries to remove the “Thrift Shop” artist from the tour. Now, the tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, has confirmed that “after discussions with stakeholders,” Macklemore will not be playing the rest of the tour.
“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,” said Messina Touring Group in a statement. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore was scheduled to perform at eight of the ten remaining shows on the North American stadium run, which continues on September 19 in Philadelphia. The show will stop at cities including Atlanta and Indianapolis—but not with Macklemore.
During his September 4 set, Macklemore told the crowd that “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.'” The rapper also performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which generated further controversy.
His set quickly sparked a petition from the Israeli American Council, which demanded that Macklemore be removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s North American run. “This was an Ed Sheeran concert—not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
Today, Macklemore addressed his removal from the tour with a statement on Instagram in which he singled out New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Macklemore alleged that Kraft rallied other stadium owners to refuse to allow Macklemore to perform at their venues.
“Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. [Sheeran] 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,” he wrote.
“Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. […] But he couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’ And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you,” Macklemore explained. “I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement.”