Macklemore asserts that he has been taken off Ed Sheeran’s tour after his pro-Palestine messages. According to the rapper, several stadium owners pressured Sheeran to remove him from the tour, a version that aligns with what the promoter stated and with Rolling Stone’s account.
Among them would be Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran is scheduled to perform. Macklemore says Kraft warned Sheeran that he could not perform there if Macklemore remained on the bill, and that other owners joined the ultimatum.
The rapper also criticizes Sheeran’s “habitual apolitical stance.” While he still describes him as a friend, he recounts that the singer told him that “Free Palestine” and the Palestinian flag had offended some of the people he had spoken to. According to Macklemore, Sheeran did not want to abandon his “I won’t take sides” position.
Macklemore had shouted “Free Palestine” during his shows, shown images of Gaza, and performed “Hind’s Hall.” The controversy also touched Pink, who shared a message from a pro-Israel group against him and later clarified that she was not asking for him to be silenced or removed from the tour.
In his statement, Macklemore also asks that the conversation shift back to Palestine and to the people suffering there, rather than focusing on him or on Sheeran.
Sheeran’s tour will continue this Friday in Philadelphia. The opening acts will be Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe. On social media, artists such as PinkPantheress, Kehlani, Xavier Dolan, and Paloma Faith, as well as figures like Greta Thunberg, have expressed their support for Macklemore.
