Click here to read the full article.
Ed Sheeran has commented on the decision to drop Macklemore from his U.S. Loop tour after the rapper made forceful “free Palestine” comments on stage during a political speech during the rapper’s performances opening
for the singer at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5.
“I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” his statement reads. “The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated. Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.
“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.
“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.
“I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won’t ever change. Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they are about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.
“I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.
“There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.
“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so. I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too. – Ed.”
His statement follows lengthy comments on Monday from Macklemore, in which he accused billionaire New England Patriots owner of rallying fellow stadium owners to ban the rapper from the tour due to his comments, and a response from Kraft; ironically, the upshot of both comments are remarkably similar calls for peace and understanding, although they differ widely on other issues. The tour’s promoter, the the Messina Touring Group, announced early Monday that Macklemore had been ejected from the tour.
Sheeran had not previously commented on the incidents, in which Macklemore unexpectedly told audiences that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. “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,’” Macklemore said, to a decidedly mixed response from the crowd. “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.”
The rapper then sang his song “Hind’s Hall” as images from the destruction in Gaza were shown on the screens inside the stadium. The song is about the pro-Palestine demonstrators who occupied a building at Columbia University after the murder of Hind Raja. Macklemore made similar comments on the second night; it seems likely he was aware that the New York metropolitan area is home to nearly 2 million Jewish residents, the largest population in the world outside Israel.
Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, said in a statement Monday: “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. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore was on the bill to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has left on his stadium tour, which will resume on Sept. 19 in Philadelphia. The rapper was scheduled to perform at venues such as Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and more.
Macklemore’s politically-themed set at the Sept. 4 concert sparked a petition from the Israeli American Council, which demanded the rapper be removed from the remaining dates on the Loop tour. The petition read: “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
Macklemore’s speech went viral across social media and generated a second wave of headlines after the singer Pink reposted a call for the rapper to be dropped from Sheeran’s tour.
