Entertainmentupdated 50m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 22 June 2026Macklemore Launches Free Palestine Tour In Dublin After Ed Sheeran Drops Him
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Macklemore launched a Free Palestine Tour in Dublin, with a sold-out 3Arena show. It followed Ed Sheeran dropping him from the US tour over pro-Palestinian comments.
11 outlets told this the same way.
Free Palestine Tour Begins
US rapper Macklemore launched his “Free Palestine Tour” in Dublin after Ed Sheeran dropped him as a supporting act over pro-Palestinian comments.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, played to a crowd of up to 13,000 at the city’s 3Arena, and he promised “many incredible surprise guests” hours before the sell-out show.
Macklemore had been removed from Sheeran’s Loop Tour after he said “free Palestine” at two concerts and made political speeches, including referring to the death toll from Israel’s military action in Gaza as a genocide, a claim that Israel rejects.
Fans queued outside the venue for the first show in the Irish capital, and Michael Keating said, “Macklemore’s support for Palestine is huge. He’s stood up and he’s put himself on the line instead of taking the easy way out.”
Sheeran Fallout and Pushback
Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s Loop Tour followed his onstage remarks, including a New Jersey concert where he said, “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.” Sheeran later stressed that the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoter, not by himself, and the BBC said Sheeran’s promoter was Messina Touring Group.
Jack Antonoff told The Guardian that he did not think Sheeran should be constrained, saying, “They’re going to let some f–king promoter tell me what I can say?” Antonoff urged Sheeran to “Stand the f–k up,” arguing that the pop star missed “a massive, beautiful opportunity” by not canceling the tour and playing for free outside each venue.
Proceeds, Dates, and Stakes
Macklemore said proceeds from his Free Palestine tour will go to organisations supporting Palestinians, and he was scheduled to perform in Paris on Thursday and in London on Friday.
At his first show since the Loop Tour removal, Macklemore told the crowd at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, “Being a human being in this moment is not complicated,” and he added, “So I say, free Palestine. I say, free Palestine!”
Macklemore also expanded his message beyond Gaza, saying, “I say, free Sudan. I say, free Congo, Lebanon, to Haiti, to all the people that are affected by ICE in America, who are afraid to leave their houses,” and he concluded, “The message will always be love.”
Sheeran, meanwhile, said in a statement that “Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,” and he said, “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”