Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying ‘Free Palestine’ at MetLife Stadium

Grammy Award winner and Seattle native Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after he made comments supporting Palestine during a concert at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Macklemore took the stage as an opener for Sheeran on Sept. 4 and told the crowd that a main reason why he wanted to be on the tour was to say “Free Palestine” in stadiums across America, words that are “very near and dear” to Macklemore’s heart, according to his social media post.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart,” Macklemore said. “Free Palestine. I said free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear. So the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.”

Stadium owners threatened to cancel shows if Macklemore remained on tour, promoter says

Messina Touring Group, the company promoting the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, confirmed Macklemore was dropped from the lineup in a statement to 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,” the company said. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Macklemore was slated to perform at eight of the 10 remaining stops for Sheeran’s tour. On Monday, Macklemore shared a lengthy statement on Instagram providing an in-depth exchange he had with Sheeran and the reasoning behind his removal from the tour.

Macklemore says Robert Kraft rallied stadium owners to issue an ultimatum

Macklemore shared that he had “some difficult conversations” with Sheeran over the past week that ended in a “fundamental disagreement.”

Sheeran reportedly told Macklemore that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had advised him that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform at their next tour stop in Gillette Stadium, owned by the Kraft Group.

Sheeran also explained how Kraft “rallied” various other stadium owners and gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore were to remain on Sheeran’s tour, they would not be allowed to play at certain venues.

“Ed was in a f***** up position. He knew it,” Macklemore wrote. “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before.”

Macklemore continued to explain his back-and-forth with Sheeran, noting how Sheeran told him the words “free Palestine” and an image of the country’s flag were “hurtful” to people he spoke with. Macklemore rebuked Sheeran’s argument by stating that “those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel.”

“There was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood,” Macklemore stated. “But [Sheeran] couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.'”

Macklemore stated that Sheeran is a friend of his, having known him for the past 13 years. The two had shared “late nights, studio sessions and stages,” and he considers him to be a brother. Despite their bond, Macklemore stated that “[Their] friendship can’t change [Macklemore’s] responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”

Seattle rapper says he’s delivered similar messages for years, but Sheeran’s stage changed the stakes

Later in the statement, Macklemore spoke to the timing of his removal, noting that he has been saying similar messages across the world for nearly three years, but now the exposure has been amplified due to his accompanying act’s status.

“So why is it an issue now? Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America,” Macklemore stated. “At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk. […] Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me.”

Macklemore finished by explaining that the two shows where he delivered his message in were enough, and that his appearance on tour was a success if it meant the conversation was turned back to the conflict in Palestine.

“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2,” Macklemore wrote. “Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine.

“But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on,” he added.

 

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It’s not the first time Macklemore’s pro-Palestine stance has drawn controversy

In September 2024, Macklemore sparked controversy after he proclaimed, “Yeah, f*** America” at a pro-Palestinian concert.

Following his comments, the Seattle Kraken and Sounders FC, two teams in which Macklemore is a minority investor, released a joint statement regarding the matter.

“We are aware of Macklemore’s increasingly divisive comments, and they do not reflect the values of our respective ownership groups, leagues, or organizations,” the statement read. “We are currently evaluating our collective options on this matter.”

Macklemore later uploaded his response on Instagram.

“My thoughts and feelings are not always expressed perfectly or politely,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram. “Sometimes I slip up and get caught in the moment. Saturday night was one of those times.”

 

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According to Variety, less than a week after he was announced as a headliner of the inaugural Neon City Festival, Macklemore has been dropped from the lineup. While organizers of the event did not say the move was because of Macklemore’s comments, they did say the change was “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

Contributing: Bill Kaczaraba

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