Macklemore has been removed from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour after making remarks supporting Palestine at concerts in New Jersey, including a speech at MetLife Stadium on September 4.
Messina Touring Group, the promoter for the U.S. leg of the tour, said venues scheduled for forthcoming dates had told it that they would not host concerts with Macklemore on the lineup. The promoter said his continued presence would have led to the cancellation of the tour and affected hundreds of thousands of fans.
The decision places a dispute over political speech at the centre of a major stadium tour. Macklemore has said Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, pressed Ed Sheeran and tour organisers to remove him. Kraft later issued a statement defending his decision to bar Macklemore from appearing in support of Sheeran at a number of stadiums.
At the September 4 concert at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore told the audience that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He also made comments regarding Palestine at concerts in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5.
Macklemore posted a statement on Instagram after his removal from the bill, accusing Kraft of exerting pressure on Sheeran. “Ed was in a fucked up position,” he said.
The rapper placed responsibility for the decision with Kraft, saying the billionaire had rallied other stadium owners to refuse to let him perform at their venues. According to the account set out by Macklemore, Kraft had allegedly threatened to withdraw Sheeran’s concert from Gillette Stadium unless Macklemore was dropped, and then encouraged owners of other tour venues to take the same position.
The brief account from Messina Touring Group did not identify the venues that objected to Macklemore’s participation. It also did not set out how any pressure from Kraft was communicated to Sheeran’s team or to the promoter.
Sheeran’s team and Messina Touring Group ultimately removed Macklemore from the tour. Macklemore said Sheeran had described saying “Free Palestine” as “Hurtful to a Lot of People”. The available account does not include a complete account of Sheeran’s position or any private discussions concerning the decision.
Kraft’s statement defended his role in preventing Macklemore from appearing at stadiums under his influence. The full text of that statement has not been provided, and there is no account of a response from Macklemore to Kraft’s specific remarks.
The episode has left the tour promoter presenting Macklemore’s removal as a step needed to keep the remaining shows in place. Macklemore, meanwhile, has characterised it as coordinated action by stadium owners against his advocacy for Palestine.
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