Rapper Macklemore launched a tour dedicated to Palestinian causes following his removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The announcement came days after Macklemore made pro-Palestinian statements during his performance as an opening act at a Sheeran concert in early September in New Jersey, where he called for “Free Palestine” and performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.
Macklemore was dropped from the tour on 14 September after his remarks, a decision attributed to concert promoter Messina Touring Group rather than Sheeran himself. Following Macklemore’s removal, all of Sheeran’s support acts withdrew in solidarity, and ticket prices for the tour declined significantly. The British artist later addressed the controversy during a Philadelphia concert, acknowledging handling mistakes and describing the situation as a humanitarian issue while characterizing the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as “horrific” and describing the Gaza situation as “unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
In response, Macklemore characterized his removal as part of a broader pattern of censorship by powerful interests. He stated that the past weeks had demonstrated a “collective awakening around Palestinian liberation” and criticized what he described as billionaires’ ability to control which voices appear on stage. The new tour will begin in Dublin on 26 October, followed by Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October, with United States dates to be added later. Revenue from the tour will support organizations working with Palestinians, and Macklemore indicated additional details were still being finalized given the rapid timeline of the tour’s development.
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