Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour over pro-Palestine comments onstage

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FILE - Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival, March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. | Photo Credit: JACK PLUNKETT

Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore said Monday that he has been dropped from Ed Sheeran‘s tour over pro-Palestinian comments he made earlier this month onstage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Macklemore said on Instagram that several U.S. venues told the promoter they would not allow him to perform as Sheeran’s opening act for the Loop tour.

As a result, he wrote that Sheeran’s team decided to remove him from the tour. That’s even though the rapper — best known for his breakout hit ‘Thrift Shop’ and the same-sex marriage anthem ‘Same Love’ — has been making similar comments about the plight of Palestinians for years .

“So why is it an issue now? Because I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America,” Macklemore wrote. “At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk.”

A growing chorus of organisations and experts says Israel’s wartime actions in Gaza amount to genocide — an accusation Israel vehemently rejects.

Sheeran has not commented, and representatives for the singer did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The promoter, Messina Touring Group, confirmed in a statement to Rolling Stone that venues had notified it 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.”

Among the venues is Gillette Stadium, home to the NFL’s New England Patriots. Owner Robert Kraft said the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”

“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real,” Kraft said in a statement Monday. Macklemore’s advocacy “should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas,” Kraft said.

The rapper, born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty in Washington state, exclaimed “Free Palestine” during the Sept. 5 date of the tour while introducing his protest song ‘Hind’s Hall.’ Written following the 2024 campus protests in support of Palestinians, it’s named for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed after Israeli forces fired on her family’s car in Gaza City.

“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,” he said during the New Jersey concert. “This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”

His comments drew criticism from fellow singer Pink, who herself then drew backlash.