Rapper Macklemore announces 'Free Palestine' tour after Ed Sheeran fallout

24 September 2026, 18: 21 BST. Updated 1 hour ago.

Key points

• Macklemore's new tour will commence in Dublin on 26 October followed by Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October.
• Rapper Macklemore is launching a "Free Palestine" tour, days after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after pro-Palestinian comments he produced onstage earlier this month.
• He described the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as "horrific", and additionally called the situation in Gaza "unjustifiable and disproportionate".
• The Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.
• According to Sheeran early on, the decision to drop Macklemore from his tour was produced by concert promoter Messina Touring Group.

"So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit, " he remarked upon announcing the tour on Thursday.

In practice, the American artist – whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty – remarked proceeds from the tour. It launches in Dublin next month, will go to organisations supporting Palestinians.

While the British singer stressed that the decision to drop the rapper was produced by his promoter, not by himself, macklemore's onstage comments and subsequent removal from the tour led Sheeran's backing acts to drop out. Everything we know regarding the Ed Sheeran and Macklemore controversy.

In an official note on Thursday, the rapper remarked that the last couple of weeks had shown him there had 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".

"What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage, " he remarked. "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."

Macklemore remarked he had spent the last week contacting artists who had employed their platforms to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian individuals, regardless of the consequences.

Due to how rapidly the tour came together, a number of details were still being worked out, he continued: "But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done."

US dates will additionally be went on, he noted, with further tickets going on sale next week.

While performing as the opening act for Sheeran at a concert in early September in New Jersey, Macklemore remarked: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."

Notably, the Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.

After he was taken off the tour on 14 September, Macklemore accused stadium owners of rallying together to push him out. He was additionally accused by billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric surrounding Israel and Gaza.

His early remarks led to all of his backing acts to drop out of the tour in solidarity, and fans to express frustration. Ticket rates for the tour plummeted as well.

Sheeran addressed the controversy head-on during the start of his set in Philadelphia last week.

He remarked he had produced "mistakes" handling the fallout, apologising to fans and taking a stand on the Israel-Gaza conflict. It he noted was "a humanitarian issue".

For now, rapper Macklemore announces ' Free Palestine' tour after Ed Sheeran fallout remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.