Macklemore Announces 'Free Palestine Tour' With Dublin, Paris and London Dates After Ed Sheeran Tour Exit

In an announcement that comes less than two weeks after him being removed, Macklemore looks set to begin his tour with three shows being scheduled across Dublin on October 26, Paris on October 29 and London on October 30 with all generated proceeds being directed towards organizations supporting Palestinians.

Table of Contents

1. The Tour Announcement

2. How the Dispute Began

3. Removal From the Loop Tour

4. Sheeran's Response

5. Openers Walk Out

6. Tour Details at a Glance

7. Where the Money Is Going

8. Reaction and Open Questions

9. Conclusion

The Tour Announcement

Macklemore, a.k.a Ben Haggerty took to Instagram on September 24 with a post announcing his tour as his scheduled had been “freed a bit” while also reinforcing his previous statement of being apolitical during a genocide not being a workable alternative anymore. Macklemore also took the opportunity to announce that had spent the past week in discussions with artists who had also used their stages to express solidarity with the Palestinians, with the hope of being able to bring some of such artists on the tour with him. As things stand, Macklemore is yet to reveal the identity of those artists as he continues working upon the scheduling and other details about bringing his plan into reality. Additionally, Macklemore has also claimed that additional U.S Dates could be announced later as well.

How the Dispute Began

Macklemore had previously agreed to join Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour as a support act for shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in early September and also managed to successfully kick-off the Loop Tour on September 4. However, what Macklemore did during his set caught national attention as well as set the precedent for the Free Palestine Tour. During his set, Macklemore told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He then led the audience in chants of "Free Palestine" before going onto perform his iconic song - Hind’s Hall, a protest song that has gained traction around the world.

Removal From the Loop Tour

On September 14, Messina Touring Group, Sheeran's U.S. promoter, issued a statement to ABC News reporting that Macklemore would not be a part of the tour for the remaining dates. The company also explained that the venue for the upcoming concerts had notified the Team about their refusal to allow a concert to take place as long as Macklemore would be on the line up and performing, and the team reasoned to remove Macklemore instead of cancelling the entire tour and affecting thousands of fans who had invested for the tour.

Macklemore, following the removal, was quick to attribute the decision as a consequence of pressure being imposed by Robert Krafth, the owner of the New England Patriots and of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Macklemore even claimed that Krafth had encouraged other stadium owners to apply the same pressure, a substantial claim that was later supported by The Wall Street Journal.

In response, Krafth issued a statement to ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston saying that the decision to exclude Macklemore from performing in the stadium was based on Macklemore's recent actions as well as content that was being shared by him on stage while referring to the “antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” that he said was deeply offensive to the Jewish community. Macklemore then disputed that characterization, asking Krafth to not confuse the opposition to the actions of Israel's government with being antisemitism.

Sheeran's Response

Ed Sheeran addressed the decision in a statement on September 15 where he said that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the promoter, not by him, and that he had spent the week "trying to build bridges" to find a solution but was unable to do so. Sheeran also confirmed that venues had informed his show promoters that the shows would be cancelled if Macklemore was to continue on the tour.

Sheeran also went on to express his strong disapproval and shock on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine while a statement from his camp later added that they simply did not wish for their concerts to become a political forum. Sheeran also consequently apologized to the fans about the incident during his Philadelphia concert in the following week.

Openers Walk Out

The Fallout from Macklemore's removal extended on September 15, where the remaining opening acts of the tour announced their decision to leave the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. The departing acts included Finneas, Aaron Rowe, alongwith Lukas Graham and the Irish Band Beoga. Finneas, who was scheduled to open later this year took to Instagram writing, "artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed”. Lukas Graham also expressed his views stating people should be able to speak about war and civilian deaths while Beoga's post was captioned in Irish with a phrase that translates as "freedom for Palestine”. Reportedly, Sheeran's own band also decided to leave the tour following the widespread backlash.

Tour Details at a Glance

Where the Money Is Going

Macklemore while announcing the dates and tour, also announced that all proceeds from the show would be directly pledged towards organizations supporting Palestinians with some reported beneficiaries including the likes of Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, HEAL Palestine alongwith other groups working in the region including Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children's Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children's Relief Fund and UNRWA USA. Separately, Macklemore also pledged that he would contribute the $1 Million of his earning from the Loop Tour across six organizations which include Anera, Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestine Children's Relief Fund and UNRWA USA. Macklemore also went onto demand Kraft to match the donation, a demand that was swiftly denied with Krafth claiming that Sheeran had already asked him to pledge $2 Million in humanitarian aid to the region, equalling Sheeran’s own contribution.

Conclusion

Macklemore's tour announcement was a quick turnaround that changed the discourse of a support slot into a touring project of his own, with three European arena dates on sale within days. While questions regarding Macklemore's removal with regards to who actually made the decision to remove him, how much venue pressure shaped it, and how his remarks and past imagery should be weighed. And while the world continues to dwell over these concerns, Macklemore looks set to continue creating awareness and impact on the conflict with Tickets for Dublin, Paris and London being live already as further dates and artist line-up is in the works, soon to be announced.