Ed Sheeran tour drops Macklemore after venues refuse to host rapper following pro-Palestine comments

Messina Touring Group, which promotes the American leg of Mr Sheeran’s tour, told Rolling Stone: “We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates 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.

“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

| GETTY

The rapper had been scheduled to appear at eight of the ten outstanding shows, with the tour due to resume on Friday in Philadelphia.

Macklemore, born Benjamin Haggerty, joined the Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5, where he performed his 2024 protest track “Hind’s Hall”, a song about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University who named an occupied building after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old killed by the Israeli military.

During the first gig, he declared: “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.'”

He also displayed images of Gaza on screen.

At the following night’s performance, the rapper directed remarks at Jewish audience members, stating: “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.

“My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”

The backlash was swift.

StopAntisemitism accused Macklemore of ambushing concertgoers with “anti-Israel propaganda” in an Instagram post that was subsequently shared by pop star Pink.

Pink later clarified her position in a lengthier statement, insisting she was not calling for the rapper to be silenced or sacked.

“What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?” she wrote.

She also took issue with Macklemore projecting “violent images from a war on the screens” and addressing Jewish attendees directly, writing: “You don’t get to decide that for us.”

Separately, the Israeli American Council circulated a petition urging Mr Sheeran’s team to drop Macklemore, arguing the rapper had exploited “a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”

The venues that allegedly objected to Macklemore’s continued involvement span stadiums across the country and include: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

GB News has reached out to these venues for comment.

The Tampa situation carries a notable precedent.

Earlier this summer, Raymond James Stadium hosted two Kanye West concerts despite widespread calls for cancellation over the rapper’s history of antisemitic remarks.

Those gigs proceeded after Ye’s promoter inserted a contractual clause preventing the venue from pulling the plug based on the artist’s past statements.

Legal experts at the time warned that cancelling would likely have breached the First Amendment, given the stadium is owned by Hillsborough County and run by the Tampa Sports Authority, a public board.

Asked about Macklemore’s removal, a Tampa Sports Authority spokesperson told Rolling Stone: “We can confirm Macklemore will not be performing at the upcoming show. Apart from this lineup change, the concert will go forward as planned.”

The North American leg wraps on November 7 in Tampa, with Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe continuing as support acts.

A South American run follows through November and December.

GB News has reached out to Macklemore’s team for comment.