Macklemore Announces Free Palestine Tour After Ed Sheeran Drama

Macklemore has announced a string of shows after finding himself at the centre of headlines when he was dropped as the opening act on Ed Sheeran’s world tour, in light of comments he made on stage in support of Palestine.

Next month, the Grammy winner will perform shows in Dublin, Paris and London as part of what he’s dubbed the Free Palestine tour, all proceeds from which “will benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement”.

In a statement, the Thrift Store rapper explained: “If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.

“It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.

“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”

“So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit,” he quipped. “I’ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe.

“Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done. So we’re going on tour.”

He added that announcements about the artists joining him would be “coming soon” as would details of US dates.

Tickets for the Free Palestine tour will go on sale on Wednesday 30 September at 10am local time, with a pre-sale also taking place on Monday 28 September for those who sign up at his website.

While on stage in New Jersey earlier this month, Macklemore told fans in attendance on Ed’s Loop Tour: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘free Palestine’. I said, ‘free Palestine!’.

“I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”

Ed later bowed to pressure to pull Macklemore as his support act, after which the Lego House singer’s other opening acts and backing band pulled out of the tour.

Macklemore said last week: “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim […] We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.

“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”