Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Pro-Palestine Speech

Rapper Macklemore has been removed from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Concert promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed upcoming venues refused to allow him on the lineup, while Macklemore claimed billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft orchestrated the ban.

The controversy began on September 4 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran and delivered a two-minute speech between songs. The Grammy-winning artist told the massive crowd that a big part of the reason he wanted to do the tour in the first place was so he could stand up in stadiums like that and say two words that were very near and dear to his heart: Free Palestine. He stated he wanted those words to be loud and clear so that people all the way from Gaza to the occupied West Bank knew they had not been forgotten. At his second appearance at MetLife on September 5, he reiterated his support and directly addressed Jewish members of the audience, stating, Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace, love; for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.

The MetLife Speech and Immediate Backlash

Macklemore’s remarks drew swift condemnation from pro-Israel organizations and entertainment figures. The petition questioned where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda, noting that the event was an Ed Sheeran concert rather than a political rally, protest, or activist event.

Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Pro-Palestine Speech — Photo: ca.news.yahoo.com

Singer Pink also amplified criticism of the performance on social media before publishing a lengthy statement explaining her stance. She clarified that her objections were not aimed at the phrase Free Palestine, but rather at Macklemore’s subsequent stage comments attempting to distance his remarks from Jewish people broadly. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ she wrote, expressing frustration at being told their fear was just propaganda or that she was cool with genocide. Pink also referenced a 2014 Grammys appearance where she cheered when Macklemore performed Same Love, alongside an incident shortly after where she stated he wore an antisemitic costume featuring a hooked nose, a black beard, and a bowl cut.

Venues Refuse the Lineup and the Promoter Steps In

The fallout quickly moved from social media to concert logistics. Messina Touring Group, which promotes the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour, announced that upcoming venues had delivered an ultimatum threatening to pull out entirely if Macklemore remained on the bill, a move that would have forced the complete cancellation of the tour and impacted hundreds of thousands of fans.

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As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, 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. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.

Messina Touring Group, Concert Promoter

The venues that allegedly objected to hosting the rapper included major sports stadiums across the country.

Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida

Macklemore Points to Robert Kraft Pressure Campaign

Following his removal from the eight remaining support slots, Macklemore took to Instagram to share his side of the situation. He alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft personally contacted Sheeran ahead of their scheduled appearance at Gillette Stadium, which is owned by the Kraft Group. According to the rapper, Kraft told Sheeran that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.

Macklemore further claimed that Kraft rallied other venue owners to issue a collective ultimatum. While Sheeran has not publicly addressed the specific allegations, Macklemore noted that his friend of 13 years was placed in an impossible position between his apolitical touring stance and mounting venue pressure. He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with, Macklemore wrote, adding that he replied to Sheeran that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed, there was a fundamental disconnect.

Reframing the Tour and Continuing Fall Out

Despite the abrupt end to his run on the stadium tour, Macklemore insisted that neither he nor Sheeran were the true victims of the dispute, pointing instead to the human toll in Gaza. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence, he wrote in his statement, citing more than 20,000 children killed in Gaza alone.

Watch Macklemore's 'Free Palestine' speech amid being dropped from Ed Sheeran tour

Sheeran’s Loop Tour resumed its schedule without Macklemore, while other supporting acts like Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe remain on the bill. Meanwhile, Macklemore maintains his independent schedule as the entertainment industry continues to grapple with the shifting boundaries between global politics and major concert stages.