Macklemore Says ‘Free Palestine’ Shows ‘Sold Out Immediately’

Earlier this month, Macklemore took to the stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The rapper addressed the thousands in 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,” Macklemore said. “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.” His speech was met with cheers from the crowd while others reportedly walked out during his performance.

In a statement later shared on Instagram, Macklemore claimed he was dropped from the tour after Robert Kraft — the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium — mounted a pressure campaign against Sheeran. Kraft, in his own statement, confirmed he made the decision to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette, saying it was based on his “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”

Sheeran continued his tour without support acts in Philadelphia earlier this month, following every opener dropping off the bill in support of Macklemore.

In Macklemore’s announcement of the three-show run, the rapper said, he’s reached out to “artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences.” He continued, “Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe.”

Macklemore didn’t name any of these support artists because, as he said, he’s still working out the details. He wrote, “All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.”