Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran tour followed by withdrawals from opening acts & backing band
The rapper’s pro-Palestine comments led to his removal from remaining US dates; both sides have since announced donations for humanitarian relief
On September 14, rapper (real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty) shared in an Instagram post that he had been removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following backlash over his public support for Palestine.
The decision came after Macklemore performed at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5, where he spoke in support of Palestinians and performed ‘Hind’s Hall’, his 2024 protest track.
His comments prompted a petition from the Israeli American Council calling for him to be removed from the tour.
As reported by Rolling Stone, tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed that Macklemore would no longer perform on the remaining US dates after venues indicated that they would not host shows with him on the line-up.
Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, later confirmed that he had barred Macklemore from appearing at the venue, citing the rapper’s “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.
Read this next: A list of ways you can aid the humanitarian crisis in Palestine
On September 15, Ed Sheeran said in an Instagram post that the decision to withdraw Macklemore had been made by the promoter and venues, rather than by him.
Following Macklemore’s removal, all four remaining supporting acts—Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga (Sheeran’s backing band for the tour) and Lukas Graham—subsequently withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
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Macklemore has announced that he would donate his US$1 million earnings from the tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians and humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza.
He also challenged Kraft to match the donation.
Today (September 17) Gillette Stadium, on behalf of Kraft, released a statement saying that he and Sheeran would each contribute US$2 million “to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis”.
Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.
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