The crisis surrounding British singer Ed Sheeran’s US tour escalated after artists and bands withdrew from the remaining dates in protest at the removal of American rapper Macklemore following his “Free Palestine” chant and expressions of support for Palestinians during the tour’s two shows in New Jersey.
Macklemore chants for Palestine during New Jersey shows
The crisis began after Macklemore joined Sheeran as an opening act for shows on 4 and 5 September 2026 at MetLife Stadium. During his appearance, he said he wanted to send Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank a message that they had not been forgotten, before repeating the phrase “Free Palestine” and performing his protest song “Hind’s Hall”.
Macklemore said a major reason he wanted to join the tour was to stand in large American stadiums and declare his support for Palestine. He also told the audience that criticising Israel and what he described as apartheid and genocide did not mean criticising Jews, saying his message called for peace and love and for all people to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.
His remarks drew criticism from groups that accused him of adopting antisemitic rhetoric, while the Israeli-American Council launched a campaign calling for him to be removed from the remaining concerts. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, meanwhile, condemned his removal, saying the pressure on him was linked to his support for Palestinians and opposition to the war in Gaza.
Tour company says Macklemore was dropped after venues issued threats
Messina Touring Group, which is organising the US leg of the Loop Tour, said several venues scheduled to host the concerts had told it they would not allow a show featuring Macklemore to go ahead. It added that keeping his name on the line-up would have led to the cancellation of the rest of the tour and affected hundreds of thousands of ticket holders, so he was dropped after consultations with the parties concerned.
Macklemore said Ed Sheeran had told him he had received a call from Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who opposed the rapper appearing at the concerts scheduled for 25 and 26 September. He claimed that other venues had issued similar warnings to the tour organisers, giving them the choice between removing him and cancelling the concerts scheduled at their facilities.
Kraft responded that the decision to bar Macklemore from appearing at Gillette Stadium was based on his remarks and material shown during the New Jersey concerts, as well as what he described as a history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery offensive to the Jewish community.
He said the decision was not intended to diminish the suffering of Palestinian civilians or deny the right to defend them, but argued that this should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas. Ed Sheeran, for his part, said Macklemore’s removal was the promoter’s decision, not his own, explaining that the rapper’s contract had been made with the tour organiser.
He added that he had spoken at length with the venues and organisers in an effort to find a joint solution, but their decision was final. He said he did not usually use his artistic platform to express his political views because audiences did not come to his concerts to take part in a political forum. Macklemore said he held no grudge against Sheeran, whom he described as a friend of 13 years, but said their friendship did not exempt him from explaining what had happened.
Four artists withdraw from remaining tour dates
He added that losing his chance to appear on stage would be acceptable to him if his words helped redirect attention towards Palestine. After he was dropped, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Danish band Lukas Graham, American singer and producer Finneas, and Irish band Biyoga, which had performed as Sheeran’s backing band, also withdrew.
Those who withdrew expressed solidarity with Macklemore and rejected silencing him because of his position on the Palestinian cause, leaving the tour without its announced supporting artists. Aaron Rowe had been scheduled to appear on the remaining North American dates, while Finneas was due to perform at six concerts on the South American leg scheduled for November.
Biyoga had accompanied Sheeran in performing several songs during the tour’s concerts, while Lukas Graham had been announced as a replacement after Macklemore’s removal. In a subsequent development, Macklemore announced that he would allocate $1 million of his net proceeds connected to Sheeran’s tour to support Palestinian relief efforts.
He said the aim of the move was to return the focus to Palestinians, explaining that the donation would be distributed among six organisations, including the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Medical Aid for Palestinians and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA.
Macklemore had previously allocated streaming proceeds from “Hind’s Hall” and “Hind’s Hall 2” to support UNRWA. The song is named after Hind Rajab, the Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza in 2024, and its title was also linked to a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters renamed during student protests that year.
Ed Sheeran resumes tour without supporting acts
Ed Sheeran is scheduled to resume his tour on 19 September with a concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, with the possibility that the show will go ahead without the artists and backing band who announced their withdrawal.
Other concerts remain scheduled in US cities including Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Arlington and Tampa, as well as the two shows at Gillette Stadium on 25 and 26 September.
