Macklemore recently announced a tour aimed at supporting Palestinians, with all tickets for the three scheduled shows in Dublin, Paris, and London selling out rapidly. The tour, named the Free Palestine tour, was unveiled by the Grammy-winning artist only a week ago. While the lineup for the shows has not been disclosed, Macklemore mentioned that he will be performing alongside other artists, with details on the performers expected to be revealed soon.
This European tour was announced following Macklemore’s removal as the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour. Expressing his gratitude on Instagram, Macklemore shared his surprise at the overwhelming response to the tour, emphasizing the importance of musicians coming together to support causes like Palestine.
The tour will benefit various Palestinian aid organizations, including the Gaza Soup Kitchen, Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, and UNRWA USA. Despite inquiries about potential shows in Canada, representatives for Macklemore have not provided any updates.
The decision to drop Macklemore from Sheeran’s tour stemmed from the threat by venue owners to cancel Sheeran’s shows if Macklemore continued as the opening act, as per a statement from the Messina Touring Group. Sheeran later addressed the issue, revealing that threats to cancel came from Robert Kraft, the chairman of The Kraft Group. Macklemore’s longstanding support for Palestine has been evident in his public statements over the years.
In response to the controversy, all other openers, including Sheeran’s backing band, withdrew from the tour. Sheeran, during a show in Philadelphia, clarified that he did not intend to be an activist musician. The shows at Gillette Stadium were ultimately called off due to severe weather conditions.