Macklemore was booked to open eight more shows for Ed Sheeran. He says the two he played were the ones that mattered.
“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2,” the rapper wrote after being removed from Sheeran’s Loop Tour. At both concerts, in front of crowds at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, he had spoken about Palestinians and called for a free Palestine.
The decision to drop him has since cost Sheeran the rest of his announced support lineup. Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Finneas have withdrawn from their scheduled dates, while Beoga, the Irish band that performs with Sheeran onstage, has left the US tour too.
Sheeran says he tried to keep Macklemore on the bill and that the promoter made the final decision after stadium operators objected. Macklemore accepts that his friend was under pressure. He is much less forgiving of Sheeran’s insistence that his concerts should stay out of politics.
What Macklemore said at MetLife
Macklemore performed at MetLife Stadium on 4 and 5 September. During his set, he showed images of the destruction in Gaza, spoke about Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and performed Hind’s Hall, his song written in support of student protesters.
He also addressed Jewish people in the audience. In footage of the speech, he said his criticism of Israel and its actions was not a criticism of them. The Israeli American Council nevertheless called for his removal, accusing him of bringing a one-sided political message into the show.
In a long statement posted on 14 September, Macklemore began by pushing the performers out of the centre of the story. “The victims are the Palestinian people,” he wrote. He described deaths, hunger and displacement in Gaza before explaining how he lost the tour dates.
Macklemore said he and Sheeran had known each other for 13 years. They had spent the previous week having difficult conversations, he wrote, and he still considered Sheeran a friend. That affection makes the account uncomfortable reading: this is a public disagreement between two people who know each other well.
According to Macklemore, Sheeran told him that Robert Kraft had called. Kraft’s company owns Gillette Stadium near Boston, where Sheeran is scheduled to play later this month. Macklemore said Sheeran told him Kraft would not allow the rapper to perform there and had encouraged other stadium owners to take the same position.
Kraft has confirmed his objection to Macklemore appearing at Gillette Stadium. Macklemore’s further claim that Kraft rallied other owners has not been publicly addressed by Kraft.
Macklemore wrote that Sheeran had told him some people found both the Palestinian flag and the words “Free Palestine” hurtful. He said he could not accept those objections taking priority over the deaths of Palestinian children.
He also asked why his advocacy had become an obstacle now, after almost three years of speaking about Palestine at his shows. His answer was Sheeran’s reach: the message was being heard in some of America’s biggest stadiums, before audiences who had come to see one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
There is a direct challenge to Sheeran in the statement. Macklemore understands that speaking out can cost an artist work, sponsorships and relationships; he says it has cost him all three. But, in his view, “there is no neutral position” in this conflict.
Macklemore also rejected the suggestion that criticising Israel or calling for Palestinian freedom is inherently antisemitic. He said antisemitism was real and serious, and argued that the accusation should not be used to shield the Israeli government from criticism. He ended by saying he hoped the disagreement would not end his friendship with Sheeran.
His complete statement is here. It is worth reading alongside the responses from the people he names.
Pink: ‘I don’t need anyone fired’
Pink is among them. She had reposted a StopAntisemitism message attacking Macklemore’s MetLife performance. The message called on Sheeran to apologise and offer refunds, so her repost understandably drew criticism.
But Pink’s subsequent statement was explicit about what she meant. Her objection, she said, was “Not ‘Free Palestine,’ and not anyone’s right to say it.” She added: “I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund.”
Pink said that, as a Jewish mother, she had been frightened by the images shown during the performance and upset by what she saw as the dismissal of Jewish people’s fears. She also recalled Macklemore’s 2014 performance wearing a disguise that critics said drew on antisemitic stereotypes. He apologised for it at the time.
She said she did not speak for Israel’s government and opposed the killing of innocent people. Her initial repost and her later explanation are both part of the story. So is the distinction between criticising Macklemore’s show and calling for his dismissal: Pink says she did the former, not the latter.
The venues, the promoter and Sheeran
Concert promoter Messina Touring Group said it had been told by venues that they would not host the upcoming shows with Macklemore on the lineup. That, it said, threatened concerts attended by hundreds of thousands of fans. Macklemore was then removed from the remaining dates.
Kraft said Macklemore would not perform at Gillette Stadium’s concerts on 25 and 26 September. He cited the MetLife performance and imagery he considered hurtful to Jewish people. In his statement, Kraft said the decision was not intended to deny Palestinian suffering or the right to advocate for Palestinians. He also accused Macklemore of presenting the conflict selectively and failing to address Hamas’s actions.
Sheeran’s own account was blunt on responsibility: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”
He said he had spoken at length with venue operators, including Kraft, and tried to find a compromise. He would not cancel the concerts, he said, because fans had made plans and touring staff depended on the work.
Sheeran also defended his choice to keep his political views largely private and his concerts a place of escape. He said he respected Macklemore’s determination to speak publicly. Macklemore’s response is that, when the person being removed is the one speaking about Palestinians, staying out of the argument is itself a consequential choice.
The other musicians walk away
Aaron Rowe, the Irish singer due to perform on the remaining North American dates, thanked Sheeran for changing his life. He said he could not continue after Macklemore’s removal: “I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
Beoga’s departure has a different weight. The Irish group performs as part of Sheeran’s live band and said its friendship with him, stretching back more than a decade, would continue. But its members said playing venues that excluded an artist advocating for Palestine was beyond what they could accept.
Lukas Graham withdrew too. Singer Lukas Forchhammer argued that artists should be able to talk about civilians and children killed in war. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation,” he wrote.
Finneas then pulled out of six South American shows scheduled for November. He was not booked for Macklemore’s remaining US support dates. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote in his announcement.
The withdrawals leave Sheeran with more than a dispute to explain. Rowe and Lukas Graham had upcoming opening slots; Beoga played with him during the show; Finneas was booked for a later leg of the tour. Each has decided that Macklemore’s removal makes their own participation untenable.
Roger Waters had no tour dates to give up. He chose a video message instead. It opened with the words “Ed Who?” and showed the former Pink Floyd musician praising Macklemore for doing what he believed was right. Then he addressed Sheeran as one of the “little f… excuse me, I nearly used the F-word then… pricks like you who do the wrong thing.” You can watch it here.
Sheeran’s next show is scheduled for 19 September in Philadelphia. The concert has not been reported cancelled. For now, the tour is due to continue with the people originally named on much of its supporting bill publicly saying they will not be there.
Leave a Reply