Macklemore has made it plain that losing a stadium tour slot has not changed his message. Playing a 17-song set at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday, Oct. 22, his first show since he was removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, the rapper halted the performance to call for a free Palestine and to speak out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, NME and Billboard reported.
"Being a human being in this moment is not complicated. It is not political," he told the crowd, according to concert footage. He went on to name several other places in crisis and extended the call to people affected by ICE who are scared to step outside their homes, before closing with a line about love as his lasting message.
How he got here
The dispute began in September, when Macklemore, opening two Sheeran dates at MetLife Stadium, called for Palestinian freedom from the stage and performed his 2024 protest song "Hind's Hall" with footage playing on screen. Criticism followed from groups including the Israeli-American Council, and from Pink, according to NME.
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group said venues on the coming run had told organizers they would not host the shows with him on the bill, Billboard reported. Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, confirmed he had barred Macklemore from that venue, saying the rhetoric and imagery had been offensive and hurtful to members of the Jewish community. Sheeran said the call was made by the promoter and venues, not by him.
The fallout was swift. Opening acts Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham withdrew, as did Sheeran's backing band, Beoga. Macklemore pledged the $1 million he had earned on the tour to organizations aiding Palestinians, and Kraft later announced a $2 million contribution to humanitarian aid in the region. Sheeran's own Gillette Stadium shows were ultimately canceled over severe weather warnings, NME noted.
A tour of his own, and a streaming bump
Macklemore has since built his own Free Palestine Tour, a short run of benefit shows that have sold out, with dates on Oct. 26, Oct. 29 and Oct. 30. Proceeds are going to groups including Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, according to Billboard.
The controversy also sent listeners back to his catalog. Early Luminate data reported by Billboard showed official on-demand streams of his solo work jumping 172%, from 282,000 on Sept. 13 to 767,000 two days later. "Hind's Hall" climbed from just over 5,000 daily streams to nearly 87,000, its best day in more than two years.
Sheeran, meanwhile, has announced a new slate of openers for the Loop Tour as it carries on, while Macklemore heads into benefit shows built around the very stance that cost him the gig.
Reporting sources: Music News | First For Music News | NME, “Macklemore calls for “free Palestine” and condemns ICE at first show since Ed Sheeran saga” · Billboard, “Macklemore Speaks Out on Palestine and ICE at First Show Since Ed Sheeran Tour Exit”.