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Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran on Friday night in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium, and during his set the rapper sang out “Free Palestine” before launching into a speech, telling the audience he wanted people in Gaza
and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
“I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom,” he said. He repeated the remarks during Saturday night’s performance.
His politically-themed set sparked a petition from the Israeli American Council, which demanded the rapper be removed from the remaining dates on the Loop tour.
The petition, which does not show how many signatures it has gathered, reads “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 also called out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during his remarks. He released the song “Hind’s Hall,” which criticizes Israel’s actions in Gaza, in 2024 and has directed proceeds from the song to go to humanitarian efforts from the UNRWA.
On social media, some concertgoers said they walked out because they had not expected a ‘political rally,” accusing Macklemore of antisemitism. Others applauded his remarks, writing “Music has always been a vital platform for human rights advocacy, not just mindless escape.”
