ABSTRACT

Rapper Macklemore, whose legal name is Benjamin Haggerty, announced on Thursday a 'Free Palestine' tour comprising three October concerts, with all proceeds pledged to organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement, according to reports by the LA Times, The Hill, BBC, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone. The announced dates are Dublin on 26 October, Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October, with US dates and additional artists to be revealed later. The announcement came about ten days after he was removed on 14 September from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour, following pro-Palestinian remarks he made from the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier in September, according to BBC.

LA Times

Macklemore announces 'Free Palestine' tour after removal from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour

Sep 24, 2026, 3:58 PM

Context

According to The Hill, Macklemore said 'Free Palestine, I said free Palestine' while introducing his song 'Hind's Hall' at the New Jersey show, adding that he wanted the words heard by people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank. BBC reported that he also performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The LA Times reported that footage of the performance circulated online and drew criticism from Jewish advocacy groups including StopAntisemitism, the Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League, while Hollywood Reporter said several pro-Israel groups called for his removal from the tour.

The Hill reported that Sheeran said in an Instagram statement that multiple venues had threatened to pull out of the tour if Macklemore was not removed, that the removal was the promoter's decision rather than his own, and that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter rather than with him. BBC identified the promoter as Messina Touring Group and reported that Sheeran said early on that the promoter had made the decision. The LA Times reported that Sheeran denied having a role in removing Macklemore, while noting that the rapper gave a different account.

Several sources described pressure from venue and team owners. The LA Times referred to mounting pressure from wealthy venue owners including billionaire Robert Kraft. Hollywood Reporter reported that New England Patriots owner Kraft and several other NFL team owners issued Sheeran an ultimatum to remove Macklemore or they would not host his concerts. Rolling Stone reported Macklemore's account that Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, told Sheeran he did not want Macklemore speaking out against Israel at the show. BBC reported that Kraft accused Macklemore of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric concerning Israel and Gaza.

The LA Times reported that after Macklemore's removal, the remaining supporting acts on Sheeran's tour, including Grammy winner Finneas and folk band Beoga, cancelled their future appearances in solidarity. The Hill and Rolling Stone reported that all of Sheeran's support acts withdrew from the tour. BBC reported that ticket prices for the tour fell as a result.

Sheeran addressed the controversy during a Philadelphia concert, according to BBC and The Hill. BBC reported that he said he had made mistakes handling the fallout, apologised to fans and described the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as horrific, calling the situation in Gaza unjustifiable and disproportionate. The Hill reported that he said he did not wish to use his public platform for political purposes and that his audience includes young people who do not attend shows expecting a political forum, and it quoted him saying he was already speaking with people across the spectrum about how to make a contribution. Rolling Stone reported that he told the crowd he had never wanted to be an activist musician but had been placed in the middle of an argument about freedom of speech. Hollywood Reporter reported that he said he was trying not to be a political commentator of any kind because he wanted his music and shows to be about unity.

The LA Times reported that Macklemore described the past two weeks as showing a 'collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now', and that the pink tour poster featured doves carrying olive branches alongside watermelon and keffiyeh-fabric motifs. He said proceeds from the shows would go to a handful of charities supporting Palestine and the Palestinian movement, and that US tour dates would be announced later, according to the LA Times. BBC reported that additional tickets would go on sale the following week and that details were still being worked out because the tour came together quickly.

The LA Times reported that Macklemore had recently donated $1 million to pro-Palestinian charities, a detail not carried by the other outlets. Hollywood Reporter reported that Pink reshared a post calling for Macklemore's removal and later posted a longer comment recalling a costume he wore onstage in 2014 that was widely criticised as antisemitic, for which he apologised at the time; she said she was standing up for her own people and that doing so was lonelier than she had expected.

All Perspectives

Macklemore: Said the past couple of weeks showed a 'collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now', and that 'what happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage'. He said that when the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention. He said being apolitical during a genocide no longer works, that people are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community, to use the stage for more than entertainment, and to push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it. He said he spent the last week reaching out to artists who have used their stages in solidarity with Palestinians regardless of the consequences, and that all proceeds would benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement. He said his schedule had 'freed up a bit' and that details were still being worked out because the tour came together quickly.

Ed Sheeran: Said the decision to remove Macklemore was the promoter's and not his, that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter, and that multiple venues threatened to pull out of the tour if Macklemore was not removed, according to The Hill and BBC. He said he does not want to use his public platform for political purposes and that his audience includes young people who do not come to shows expecting a political forum. At a Philadelphia concert he said he had made mistakes handling the fallout and apologised to fans; he described the 7 October 2023 attacks as horrific and as compounding centuries of Jewish pain, called what is happening in Gaza catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate, and said the systematic injustice in the West Bank cannot be overlooked. He said he was already speaking with people across the spectrum about how to make a contribution and was listening and learning because he did not know enough. He also said he had never wanted to be an activist musician but had been placed in the middle of an argument about freedom of speech, and that his concerts have always been a safe space.

Robert Kraft: According to BBC, accused Macklemore of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric concerning Israel and Gaza. According to Rolling Stone, Macklemore said Kraft told Sheeran he did not want Macklemore speaking out against Israel at the show. According to Hollywood Reporter, Kraft and several other NFL team owners issued Sheeran an ultimatum to remove Macklemore or they would not host his concerts.

Jewish and pro-Israel advocacy groups: The LA Times reported that Macklemore's MetLife Stadium remarks drew criticism from Jewish advocacy groups including StopAntisemitism, the Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League. Hollywood Reporter reported that several pro-Israel groups called for his removal from Sheeran's tour.

Pink: According to Hollywood Reporter, Pink reshared a post calling for Macklemore to be removed, and later shared a more extensive comment recalling a costume he had worn onstage in 2014 that was widely criticised as antisemitic. She said she was standing up for her own people and that she had thought she knew going in how lonely that would be, and that it was lonelier than that, but that she was doing it anyway.

Sheeran's support acts: According to the LA Times, the remaining supporting acts on the Loop tour, including Finneas and Beoga, pulled out of their future appearances in solidarity with Macklemore. The Hill and Rolling Stone reported that all of Sheeran's support acts withdrew from the tour.

Position not represented in the source reporting: Messina Touring Group; NFL team owners other than Robert Kraft reported to have pressured Sheeran.

Where sources differ

Dublin show date: Deadline reports 25 October at 3Arena, while the LA Times, The Hill, BBC, Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone report 26 October.
Paris venue name: Deadline reports Accor Arena, while Rolling Stone lists the venue as 'Ancor Arena'.
Source of pressure on Sheeran: the LA Times describes pressure from wealthy venue owners including Robert Kraft; Hollywood Reporter reports that Kraft and several other NFL team owners issued an ultimatum; Rolling Stone reports Macklemore's account that Kraft told Sheeran he did not want Macklemore speaking out; Deadline refers to pressure from promoters including Kraft.
Responsibility for the removal: the LA Times reports that Sheeran denied a role while noting Macklemore gave a different account; The Hill and BBC report Sheeran saying the promoter made the decision and that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter.
Characterisation of Sheeran's public position: the LA Times describes a 'middling stance' on the war in Gaza, while other outlets report him describing the situation in Gaza as catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate.
Tour name: The Hill calls it the 'Macklemore and Friends Free Palestine Tour', while the other outlets call it the Free Palestine tour.

Gaps & Unknowns

No source carries any statement or response from Messina Touring Group, the promoter that Sheeran and BBC identified as responsible for removing Macklemore from the tour.
Robert Kraft and the other venue or team owners reported to have pressured Sheeran are not quoted directly in any supplied source; their positions are relayed second-hand through Macklemore, Sheeran or third-party reporting.
None of the sources names the organisations or charities that will receive the tour proceeds, nor states how much money is expected to be raised.
The artists joining Macklemore on the tour are not named in any source, and no source identifies the acts he said he had approached.
No US tour dates, cities or venues are given; all sources say only that they will be announced later.
No source states whether Israeli officials, Palestinian organisations or the named advocacy groups were approached for comment on the tour announcement.
The precise announcement date is given only as 'Thursday', with the LA Times carrying a 24 September 2026 dateline; no source confirms the year independently.
The LA Times report of a $1 million donation by Macklemore to pro-Palestinian charities is not corroborated by the other five outlets.
The number and identity of the NFL team owners said to have issued an ultimatum to Sheeran is not established in any source.
No source establishes how much revenue Sheeran's tour lost, beyond BBC's report that ticket prices fell.

Sources & Further Reading

LA Times — original — by Alexandra Del Rosario
The Hill — by Caroline Jaime
BBC World — by Nardine Saad
Deadline — by Greg Evans
Hollywood Reporter — by Ethan Millman
Rolling Stone — by Kory Grow

Read the original at LA Times

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