Macklemore says "free Palestine" at Red Rocks, then opens Free Palestine tour in Dublin

Centre · 1Macklemore played a 17-song set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado on Thursday 22 October, the first concert since being removed as a support act from Ed Sheeran's North American Loop Tour in September, and told the audience "free Palestine". 1 Centre · 1In the same speech Macklemore also called for freedom for Sudan, Congo, Lebanon and Haiti and for people affected by ICE in the US, and ended with "The message will always be love"; Gulf News, citing NME, reported that the crowd cheered. 1 Centre · 2The controversy began on 4 September at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, when Macklemore, opening for Sheeran, said "Free Palestine" and performed the 2024 song Hind's Hall, which the BBC describes as dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University; the call was repeated the next night. 1 2

Centre · 2On 14 September the tour's US promoter, Messina Touring Group, said Macklemore would not play the remaining support dates, saying several venues had refused to go ahead with Macklemore on the bill. 1 2 Centre · 2Macklemore accused stadium owners of rallying together to push Macklemore out, and said Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, had given Sheeran an ultimatum. 1 2 Centre · 2Kraft confirmed he would not allow Macklemore to play Gillette Stadium, citing "recent actions" and "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery"; he said the decision was not about denying Palestinian suffering and that he would welcome a meeting with Macklemore. The BBC reports that Jewish groups also criticised Macklemore, who referred to the death toll in Gaza as a genocide, a claim Israel rejects. 1 2

Centre · 1Sheeran wrote that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter, not with Sheeran, and that venues had said they would pull shows if Macklemore stayed; Sheeran said he was "appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine". Macklemore replied on Instagram: "I didn't need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2." 1 Centre · 2The other support acts Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, and Sheeran's backing band Beoga, withdrew in solidarity. At a Philadelphia show on 19 September Sheeran said he was "so, so sorry" and had made mistakes, called the 7 October 2023 attacks "horrific" and the situation in Gaza "unjustifiable and disproportionate". 1 2 Centre · 1Macklemore pledged $1 million, net earnings from the Loop Tour, to six Palestinian aid organisations and challenged Kraft to match it; Kraft later announced a $2 million donation without naming recipients. 1

Centre · 2Macklemore announced the Free Palestine Tour on 24 September, with proceeds going to organisations supporting Palestinians. It opened at Dublin's 3Arena on 26 October, before up to 13,000 people according to the BBC, with Paris on 29 October and London's Wembley Arena on 30 October; Macklemore promised "many incredible surprise guests" and has said US dates will follow, though none are confirmed. 1 2 Centre · 1Fans queueing in Dublin, some in Palestinian jerseys and keffiyeh scarves, told the BBC they supported Macklemore speaking out and were upset by the removal from Sheeran's tour. 2 Centre · 1For context, the BBC says the Gaza campaign followed the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage; more than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable, while Israel says its troops act in self-defence in line with international law. 2