Macklemore performing in France in August
Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour over stance on Palestine
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Rapper Macklemore has been removed from the remaining support dates of Ed Sheeran’s US stadium tour after multiple venues refused to allow him to perform following his onstage political remarks regarding his support for Palestine.
Macklemore was slated to serve as the opening act for eight of the final ten shows on Sheeran’s US tour leg, which is set to resume on September 19 in Philadelphia.
Read more: ‘Israeli’-American Council petitions Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore
In a statement released to Rolling Stone, tour promoter Messina Touring Group explained that venue objections threatened to shut down the entire tour: "As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s US Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming US 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."
The venues that objected to the rapper's inclusion on the bill include major sports arenas such as Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
He accompanied his set with footage displaying damage in Gaza and performed "Hind’s Hall" his 2024 protest track dedicated to pro-Palestinian student demonstrators at Columbia University who occupied a campus building following the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab.
During his second show, Macklemore addressed the crowd to clarify that criticism of 'Israeli' government policy and apartheid was not aimed at the Jewish community.
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Following the New Jersey shows, the 'Israeli'-American Council launched a formal petition calling for Sheeran to drop the opening act, arguing that a global concert platform should not be utilized to present a one-sided political agenda to massive audiences.
The incident also drew public attention across social media after pop artist Pink shared a post calling for Macklemore to be removed from the tour, generating further online debate. Neither Macklemore nor Ed Sheeran has issued a personal statement regarding the tour promoter's decision.
