“Thrift Shop” rapper Macklemore was removed as an opener for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” after making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage during a show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The rapper took a moment during his set to say “Free Palestine” to the New Jersey crowd.
The “Loop Tour” is in its second leg, briefly beginning in Oceania at the beginning of the year. It got through half of its North American leg before hitting a wall following the controversy at MetLife Stadium.
Macklemore was the first of three opening acts at MetLife Stadium and it was his first stop on the tour. While performing his song “HIND'S HALL,” a protest song in support of pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses and a call to end the Gaza genocide, he called for a free Palestine.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine,’”said the rapper on stage. The statement was met with instant backlash from Israeli-supporting groups and artists.
Hours after the concert, Instagram user @stop_antisemitism posted a video of the performance with the caption, “Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing last night in NJ, not to be ambushed by Macklemore’s anti-Israel propaganda.” The controversy gained widespread attention after singer-songwriter P!NK reposted the video.
A week later on Sept. 11, P!NK released a statement on Instagram defending her repost of the video. “Last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images of a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them. You don’t get to decide that for us,” wrote the “Try” singer.
P!NK also referenced Macklemore’s 2014 controversy when he performed in a costume with a hooked nose, a black beard and a bowl cut, interpreted by many as a stereotypical depiction of an Orthodox Jew. As a Jewish individual herself, P!NK wrote: “that scared me, and it scared the people I love.”
Additionally, the Israeli American Council launched a petition attempting to remove Macklemore from the remainder of the tour. The petition writes, “sign this petition … to keep the concert stage a space for music that brings people together - not one-sided political propaganda that divides them.”
On Monday, their wish was granted. In a statement to Rolling Stone, the promoter for the tour, Messina Touring Group, wrote, “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore confirmed his removal in a statement on Instagram, writing, “Ed [Sheeran] told me that [Robert] Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in [Gillette] Stadium.” He went on to say that Kraft gave the Sheeran team an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays, the tour cannot come to the stadium.
Macklemore also criticized Sheeran’s commitment to neutrality surrounding the situation, saying, “there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.” Sheeran’s statement affirmed his political neutrality and did not defend his supporting act.
Later that day, Kraft confirmed his involvement in Macklemore's removal from the tour in a statementto Rolling Stone, claiming that his venue would not platform “hate speech” or anyone with a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” Kraft did not confirm whether he involved other stadium owners in the decision, as Macklemore claimed.
Kraft has a deep connection to the state of Israel, receiving the Genesis Prize, also known as the Jewish Nobel Prize, in 2019. Both U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called Kraft a friend of Israel.
The backlash to Macklemore’s removal was swift and devastating for the tour. All of the remaining supporting acts have abandoned the tour in support of their fellow opener.
FINNEAS, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham all withdrew from the tour on Tuesday, whilst expressing support for the Palestinian people. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” FINNEAS wrote in his withdrawal statement.
Additionally, Sheeran’s backing band, Beoga, also withdrew from the tour, leaving the tour under threat of cancellation with no backing band. As of Sept. 16, no word has come of any tour dates being cancelled or postponed.
As of Sept. 16, no replacement supporting acts have been confirmed for the show, and no new statement has been released from the Sheeran team. The next planned tour date is Sept. 19, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
