Macklemore cut from Ed Sheeran U.S. tour after onstage 'Free Palestine' remarks
Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour following public backlash over his onstage remarks regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Concert promoters cited venue concerns over potential cancellations as the primary reason for the decision.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing tension between artists' political expression and the commercial interests of large-scale touring venues.
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, joined Sheeran for the first two U.S. shows on the Loop Tour on Sept. 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The Seattle-born Grammy winner was slated to open for the remaining eight of Sheeran's 10 U.S. shows before he was dropped from the tour.
Macklemore's onstage remarks at MetLife — including chanting "Free Palestine" and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank — drew criticism from pro-Israel groups .
The rapper also wore a keffiyeh, a checkered black-and-white scarf long worn by Palestinians, and performed his song Hind's Hall , one of two songs he released in 2024 in support of student protesters on university campuses and to decry Israel's military actions in Gaza following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of Oct. 7, 2023.
Also covering this story
5 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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