Macklemore will no longer open for Ed Sheeran on the remaining dates of his U.S. Loop Tour after several venues objected to the rapper's onstage remarks in support of Palestinians and calls for a "free Palestine."
Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind the U.S. leg of Sheeran's Loop Tour, confirmed Macklemore's departure in an exclusive statement to Rolling Stone.
"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 company said.
"After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates," the statement continued.
The "Thrift Shop" rapper had been scheduled to appear at eight of the Loop Tour's 10 remaining concerts, according to the outlet. The tour is set to resume Sept. 19.
The decision follows Macklemore's performance during a Sheeran concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, on Sept. 4. During his set, the Grammy-winning musician wore a kaffiyeh and performed his pro-Palestinian protest song "Hind's Hall." Macklemore told the audience that one of the reasons he joined the tour was to advocate for a "free Palestine."
"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,'" the singer told 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."
He reiterated his message about Palestine during his performance the following evening as well.
His comments were met with a divided response. Some attendees praised the rapper for using his platform to advocate for Palestinians, while others criticized the political message and reportedly left the concert. The Israeli-American Council subsequently circulated a petition urging Sheeran and the tour's organizers to remove Macklemore from the remaining lineup.
Macklemore responds after removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour
Macklemore addressed his removal in a lengthy Instagram statement, confirming that Sheeran and his team had decided to drop him from the remaining Loop Tour dates.
Macklemore said he and Sheeran, whom he has known for 13 years, held several difficult conversations, though "rooted in love and respect," before the decision was made. He shared that Sheeran told him New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, would not allow Macklemore to perform there and had helped rally other stadium owners behind a similar position. Macklemore shared that "they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Kraft and Sheeran for comment.
"Nothing I'm writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can't change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened," Macklemore wrote in his statement.
"His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before," Macklemore added. "He told me that the words 'Free Palestine' and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood."
Despite their disagreement, Macklemore said he hoped to preserve his friendship with Sheeran. He concluded that he did not need all 10 scheduled appearances, writing that the two MetLife Stadium concerts gave him the opportunity to deliver his message to 90,000 people.
"Free Palestine. But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I've ever been on," he wrote to end his statement.
Pink addresses backlash over Macklemore criticism
Pink also entered the debate after resharing a post from the advocacy group StopAntisemitism that criticized Macklemore's MetLife Stadium appearance. The post called for an apology and urged organizers to remove him from Sheeran's tour, according to Rolling Stone.
After receiving backlash, Pink published a lengthy statement on Instagram addressing the online dialogue.
"Last Sunday I reposted somebody else's post about Macklemore's set at Ed Sheeran's show. It said things in words I didn't write, and I wouldn't have chosen all of them. Then the comments came, and I did what I do when I'm hurt, which is post snarky memes and act like I'm fine. That's on me," the singer wrote.
The singer, who is Jewish, clarified that her objection was not to the phrase "Free Palestine" or Macklemore's right to express his beliefs. She said she was reacting to the imagery and rhetoric used during his performance and how they affected some Jewish concertgoers.
Pink also said she was not asking for Macklemore to be silenced or fired. In outlining her position, she condemned Hamas while asserting that Palestinians deserve a future that respects their humanity and aspirations.
"I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I'm not asking now," Pink said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour due to 'free Palestine' message
