Macklemore Excluded from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Tour Following Venue Concerns Over ‘Free Palestine’ Remarks

Macklemore has been removed from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour following several venues’ refusal to allow him to perform due to his onstage statements supporting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. According to a statement from Messina Touring Group, the promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates informed them that they would not permit a concert with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in tour cancellation and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. The venues that reportedly objected include Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Macklemore, who has been an outspoken supporter of Palestinians for years, joined Sheeran’s tour earlier this month, performing at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5. During his first performance, he shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and displayed images of Gaza’s devastation, performing his protest song ‘Hind’s Hall’ about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University. He later reiterated his stance at the second MetLife show, addressing Jewish audience members and stating that criticism of Israel does not equate to criticism of Jewish people. The Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding Sheeran remove Macklemore, claiming his actions raised questions about where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform for a one-sided political agenda. Pink, who shared criticism of Macklemore’s statements on social media, later clarified she did not object to his message but expressed concern about the fear his remarks caused Jewish individuals. Legal experts noted that venues owned by government entities might face First Amendment issues if they barred Macklemore over his political statements. The Tampa Sports Authority confirmed Macklemore would not perform at the upcoming Tampa show but stated the concert would proceed as planned. Sheeran’s Loop Tour will continue with Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe as support acts, with the North American leg running through November 7. The South American leg is scheduled for November and December.