American rapper Macklemore has been removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran’s tour after using his appearances at earlier concerts to publicly call for a “Free Palestine”.
The decision was confirmed by the promotion agency handling Sheeran’s US Loop Tour. According to the agency, venues involved in upcoming shows indicated that they would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore included in the lineup.
“As a result of discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,” the promoter said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Macklemore was scheduled to appear at several of Sheeran’s US shows. His removal followed remarks he made during concerts in New York and New Jersey, where he spoke about the war in Gaza and urged audiences to remember Palestinians affected by the conflict.
The rapper addressed the decision on Instagram, saying he wanted to respond honestly rather than immediately comment on the circumstances surrounding his removal.
He also defended his decision to speak from the stage, arguing that his friendship with Sheeran should not prevent him from discussing issues he considers important.
Macklemore said Sheeran had told him that businessman Robert Kraft, whose organisation is associated with Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts had threatened to prevent a planned concert from going ahead if Macklemore remained part of the lineup.
Kraft later confirmed that he had objected to Macklemore’s participation. He cited what he described as the rapper’s recent actions, material presented from the stage and a wider history of what Kraft characterised as antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Kraft said his opposition was connected to his longstanding work against antisemitism and hate.
At the same time, he said he agreed that civilians had suffered enormously and expressed a desire for peace and an end to violence.
The dispute has placed the artists’ differing approaches to political issues under renewed attention.
Macklemore has repeatedly used his music and public appearances to support Palestinians. In September 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall”, a protest song inspired by student demonstrations against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
During a September 4 performance in New York, he again called for a free Palestine. Following criticism, he shared footage of his remarks online and said he wanted Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know that people outside the region had not forgotten their situation.
The comments attracted criticism from pro-Israel organisations and individuals, including an American Israeli Council petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from the tour.
They also generated support from public figures.
Children’s entertainer Miss Rachel publicly criticised the decision to remove Macklemore, while Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg expressed solidarity with the rapper in comments on his social media post.
Macklemore also challenged the idea that artists can remain completely neutral when confronted with humanitarian crises. He argued that declining to take a position can itself become a political choice.
The rapper further criticised what he described as the conflation of criticism of Israel with antisemitism, arguing that opposition to Israeli government policies should not automatically be treated as hostility towards Jewish people.
The controversy has not, however, ended Macklemore’s relationship with Sheeran.
Macklemore described Sheeran as a friend and said he hoped their disagreement would not destroy their long-standing friendship. He also acknowledged that Sheeran had faced pressure from different sides of the dispute.
For Macklemore, the consequences of speaking publicly appear to be part of the decision he has already accepted.
He said that although losing the tour appearances was painful, being able to use the stage to draw attention to Palestinians made the experience meaningful.
The dispute highlights the increasingly complicated relationship between music, celebrity and political expression. For artists performing before large international audiences, the stage can be both a commercial platform and a powerful space for activism.
In Macklemore’s case, his decision to use that platform has now cost him a place on one of the biggest US concert tours of the year.
Keywords: Macklemore, Ed Sheeran, Macklemore Palestine, Free Palestine, Hind’s Hall, Gaza, Ed Sheeran US tour, Robert Kraft, music controversy
Asian Burg / Culture
