The Messina Touring Group, along with several venues, decided not to allow Macklemore to continue performing as a supporting act on Ed Sheeran’s U.S. leg of the Loop Tour. This decision followed a Pro-Palestinian speech Macklemore made on Sept. 4 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during his opening act for Sheeran’s tour.
The speech condemned Israel for its war with Palestine. Macklemore said, “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place was so that I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart, free Palestine.” Macklemore wanted to use his influence to spread his message to the crowd.
The following night, Macklemore addressed the crowd by speaking on how criticism of Israel is in no way a criticism of Jewish people. He said, “To all my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”
This isn’t the first time Macklemore has been outspoken about his political views; the rapper released a song called “Hind’s Hall” in 2024. This song condemned the War in Gaza and supported student protesters across the nation. Macklemore played “Hind’s Hall” at the show following his speech. During this part of his set, he displayed images of Gaza, as well as videos of protests.
However, Macklemore’s attempt to clear up any misconceptions about his speech the night before did not succeed. A representative for the Messina Touring group told Rolling Stone that “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.”
After talking with stakeholders and venue owners, the touring group decided that having Macklemore open for Sheeran would end up leaving the tour canceled in many locations, as well as deterring thousands of fans from showing up.
This removal followed a rise in public backlash against the early-2010s rapper. The Israeli-American Council petitioned to have Macklemore removed from Sheeran’s tour. Many stadium owners, including Robert Kraft, who was especially advocating for the cancellation of the tour as a whole and is the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, sent a letter to the Messina Touring Group stating they would not allow Macklemore to perform at the venue.
Macklemore responded to his public backlash and tour removal today via Instagram. He said, “We are not the victims. Palestinians are.”
Macklemore also faced public scrutiny from the singer Pink, after she reposted Macklemore’s speech and called for Sheeran to drop him from the tour. Pink faced a lot of backlash herself for her criticism of Macklemore, and after she stayed silent for days, she eventually spoke up on social media, saying, “I’m standing up for my own people, and I thought I knew how lonely that would be. It’s lonelier than that.”
Popline News 