After being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s shows, Macklemore announces ‘Free Palestine Tour’ in UK and Europe

Macklemore anunciou um ‘Free Palestine Tour’ pelos Reino Unido e Europa, após ser removido do tour ‘Loop’ dos EUA de Ed Sheeran por seus comentários pró-Palestina.

The rapper announced the run today (September 24), with shows set to take place at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, Paris’ Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley the following night.

He said he is still finalising the line-ups, but has spent the past week contacting “artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences”.

Further artist announcements are expected soon, while Macklemore said US dates will also follow.

All proceeds from the concerts will benefit 12 organisations working in areas including medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, advocacy and community support for Palestinians.

Eles são Anera, Glia, Cozinha de Sopa da Gaza, Taawon, HEAL Palestine, Movimento Jovem Palestino, Aliança de Crianças do Oriente Médio, Voz Judaica pela Paz, Ajuda Médica aos Palestinos, Instituto para a Compreensão do Oriente Médio, Fundo de Alívio para Crianças da Palestina e UNRWA USA.

So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations… pic.twitter.com/Eow5Lv1SCH.

Fans can sign up through Macklemore’s website here for access to the artist pre-sale, which begins at 10am local time on Monday (September 28). General sale begins at 10am local time next Wednesday (September 30) here.

Announcing the tour, Macklemore reflected on the events of the past few weeks.

Ele continuou: “É 2026. Ser apolítico durante um genocídio não funciona mais. As pessoas estão pedindo aos artistas que apareçam, se eduquem e estejam na comunidade.”.

To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”.

Ele então brincou: “Então, como vocês sabem, minha agenda ficou um pouco mais livre.”.

The new dates follow a turbulent few weeks surrounding Sheeran’s US tour, beginning when Macklemore made an impassioned speech while opening at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5.

During the shows, he called for “all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality” and told people in Gaza and the West Bank that “we have not forgotten about them”, before declaring “Free Palestine” and performing his 2024 protest track ‘Hind’s Hall’ alongside footage from Gaza.

The comments prompted criticism from the Israeli-American Council, which called for him to be removed from the tour and accused him of using Sheeran’s shows to “advance a one-sided political agenda”.

Pink também compartilhou um post do grupo StopAntisemitism criticando a performance de Macklemore. Ela esclareceu posteriormente que não concordava com toda a linguagem do post e afirmou que nunca pediu que o rapper fosse demitido ou silenciado.

Macklemore subsequentemente defendeu seu discurso, dizendo que “querer que todos os humanos sejam tratados igualmente nunca deveria ser controverso”.

The situation escalated when New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft objected to Macklemore performing at Sheeran’s September 25 and 26 shows at the stadium.

Macklemore announced on September 14 that he had subsequently been dropped from the remainder of the tour, claiming Sheeran had told him that Kraft and other stadium owners had objected to his presence on the bill.

The decision triggered further upheaval on the tour, with all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts and his backing band withdrawing in solidarity with Macklemore.

When Sheeran returned to the stage in Philadelphia on September 19, he apologised for “mistakes” in his handling of the controversy and revealed that the fallout had left him questioning whether he wanted “to be an artist at all”.

The controversy has continued to draw responses from across the music world. In a recent interview with NME, Tom Morello praised Macklemore for refusing to retreat from his stance, arguing that “courage is contagious”.

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