Macklemore Reacts To Ed Sheeran Tour Removal

Macklemore was removed from his upcoming supporting performances on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour following onstage “Free Palestine” statements he made while opening two shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, earlier this month. Macklemore addressed the decision in a lengthy statement posted to social media.

Macklemore’s onstage comments supporting Palestine prompted some negative responses, including pop star P!NK who initially called for Macklemore to be removed from Sheeran’s tour. Macklemore’s MetLife Stadium remarks came amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which escalated after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza.

Macklemore was slated to appear at eight additional Loop Tour stops, but he is no longer listed as a supporting performer for any of Sheeren’s upcoming shows. In his statement addressing being dropped from the tour, Macklemore said Sheeran and his team made the decision to remove him from the tour.

According to Macklemore, Sheeran revealed that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, called Sheeran directly to prevent the performance. Macklemore said this placed Sheeran in a “fucked up situation.”

“Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him,” Macklemore wrote. “We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Rolling Stone posted a statement provided by the promoters of the U.S. portion of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, Messina Touring Group.

“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,” Messina Touring Group stated. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Backlash against Macklemore grew out of a petition from the Israeli-American Council calling on Sheeran to remove the “Thrift Shop” rapper from the tour’s remaining dates. Pink also faced backlash after resharing a post critical of Macklemore’s MetLife remarks. She later posted her own statement clarifying her position.

Macklemore mentioned Pink, as well as Sheeran and himself, at the onset of his statement, to make clear that he did not think the three musicians were “victims” in the situation. Macklemore went on to describe Sheeran as a friend of 13 years and explained that he hoped this would not end their friendship.

“I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed,” Macklemore wrote. “Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this.”

Macklemore next tour date is scheduled for October 22 at Red Rocks outside Denver. The Loop Tour continues on September 19 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field with Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe supporting Sheeran.

Read Macklemore’s Instagram post sharing his statement regarding being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour below.