Macklemore Dropped From Remaining Ed Sheeran Tour Dates After Pro-Palestine Statements
Macklemore will no longer be opening for Ed Sheeran on the remaining dates of his U.S. tour.
The 43-year-old “Can’t Hold Us” rapper has been removed from his remaining scheduled appearances on Ed‘s Loop Tour following controversy surrounding comments he made in support of Palestine during the tour’s recent shows in New Jersey.
The news comes just over a week after Macklemoreresponded to backlash over his comments and a petition calling for him to be removed from the tour.
Why Was Macklemore Removed From Ed Sheeran’s Tour?
Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind the U.S. leg of Ed‘s tour, confirmed that Macklemore will no longer perform at his remaining scheduled shows after multiple venues allegedly objected to his participation.
“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,” the promoter said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,” the statement continued.
According to the outlet, Macklemore had been scheduled to appear at eight of the 10 remaining shows on the U.S. leg of the tour.
Seven venues reportedly objected to his participation, including Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, 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.
What Did Macklemore Say at Ed Sheeran’s Concert?
Macklemore previously opened for Edduring his September 4 and 5 shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
During his performances, the rapper voiced his support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and called for a “Free Palestine.” He also performed his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
His comments subsequently sparked criticism and prompted the Israeli-American Council to launch a petition calling for his removal from the remaining tour dates. Pink also made headlines for criticizing his message.
Macklemorelater shared footage of his remarks on social media and responded to the backlash.
“Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial,” he wrote.
Read more about Macklemore‘s original comments and his response to the backlash.
Ed has not publicly commented on Macklemore being removed from the remaining dates as of this writing.
The Loop Touris scheduled to resume on September 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
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