American rapper Macklemore announced that all tickets for his ‘Free Palestine’ tour sold out as soon as they went on sale. The tour includes three concerts in Dublin, Paris and London, with proceeds to be allocated to organisations that support Palestinians and the solidarity movement backing them.
Macklemore’s removal precedes tour sell-out
The sell-out came days after he was removed from the opening act of British singer Ed Sheeran’s tour over his pro-Palestinian statements and performances. In a post on his ‘Instagram’ account, Macklemore said tickets for all three concerts had sold out quickly and completely, expressing his surprise at the scale of the turnout.
The artist behind the song ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ added that his team had put the tour together within a short period, in cooperation with activists and musicians who believe in art’s ability to express solidarity with Palestine, raise donations and demonstrate the impact of collective action. The American singer wrote: ‘When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always remain a form of resistance,’ before thanking audiences in Dublin, Paris and London for their swift response.
He said the demand for tickets provided new evidence that large numbers of people around the world support the call to liberate Palestine. Macklemore said the names of the artists taking part in the concerts would be announced later.
Independent tour to allocate proceeds to supporting Palestinians
He had unveiled the tour the previous week, confirming that all its proceeds would go to organisations that support Palestinians and the solidarity movement backing them, without naming the recipients. Macklemore announced his independent tour days after being removed from the opening act of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Loop’ tour, following pro-Palestinian remarks he made during performances held in September.
The organisation behind Sheeran’s tour informed the rapper’s team that his participation had been terminated after venues hosting the concerts threatened to withdraw if his name remained on the list of participating artists. Gillette Stadium was among the venues that objected to Macklemore’s participation. The stadium is owned by businessman Robert Kraft, owner of the American football team the New England Patriots.
Macklemore responded by publicly challenging Kraft to match a financial donation the singer would make to humanitarian organisations working on behalf of Palestinians, seeking to shift the dispute over his statements towards support for relief efforts. Several artists who had been scheduled to open for Ed Sheeran subsequently withdrew after Macklemore’s removal.
Artists withdraw in solidarity with Macklemore
Singer and producer Finneas, Danish pop band ‘Lukas Graham’ and Irish singer Aaron Rowe announced that they were withdrawing in solidarity with him. Sheeran, for his part, denied that he had decided to remove Macklemore, explaining in a statement that the rapper’s contract had been with the tour organiser, not with him personally.
He said he had spent a week communicating with officials at the venues hosting the concerts and had also taken part in direct discussions with organisers and activists from both sides, seeking a solution that would allow Macklemore’s participation to continue. However, the venues and the organiser stood by their final decision. Sheeran addressed the issue again during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on 19 September.
He said he had tried throughout his career not to become a political commentator because he wanted his music and concerts to be a call for unity rather than division. But he stressed that the issue was humanitarian and that he could not hide his position on it, describing what was happening in Gaza as ‘catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate’.
Mounting pressure after pro-Palestinian performances
Objections to Macklemore’s participation in Sheeran’s tour began after he displayed pro-Palestinian messages and images on stage while opening a concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in early September. Pro-Israel organisations called for him to be removed from the tour, while American singer Pink also called for his removal from the concerts, before his participation ended under the weight of that pressure.
Macklemore refused to retreat from his position, writing on social media that calling for all human beings to be treated equally should not be controversial. He had previously released pro-Palestinian works and taken part in public events at which he criticised Israel’s war on Gaza and American support for Israel. He had also announced that proceeds from some of his works would be allocated to relief organisations.
After his participation in Sheeran’s tour ended, Macklemore moved to organise his three concerts under the name ‘Free Palestine’, combining musical performances with political solidarity and fundraising for Palestinians. He confirmed that details of the other artists participating in the tour would be announced later.
