Macklemore 'blown away' by response to Free Palestine tour after being dropped from Ed Sheeran gigs
Macklemore has reacted after his three Free Palestine gigs this month "sold out immediately".
Macklemore is "blown away" after his Free Palestine tour "sold out immediately".
The Thrift Shop rapper has announced gigs in Dublin, Paris and London for the end of October after being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US stadium shows following his pro-Palestinian remarks on stage, and he has thanked fans for their support and promised lineup details are coming.
He wrote on Instagram: "All three shows sold out immediately. I'm honestly blown away.
"We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like.
"When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance.
"Dublin, Paris and London, thank you for showing up the way you did. The response to these shows is another reminder of how many people across the world are standing together for a free Palestine.
"Lineups coming soon. Can't wait to be together."
The 43-year-old star will begin the run in Dublin on 26 October before performing in Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October, with North American dates set to follow.
The concerts will bring Macklemore together with special guests and raise money for organisations providing humanitarian assistance and other support for Palestinians.
Announcing the shows on Instagram, Macklemore said: “If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has 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.
“It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”
Macklemore added: “What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. 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.”
The announcement follows a turbulent period for Ed, 35, and his Loop tour after Macklemore was removed from its remaining US dates.
The rapper had appeared at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 September, where he told the audience part of his reason for joining the tour was to say “Free Palestine” in a stadium and said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know “we have not forgotten about them”.
Promoter Messina Touring Group subsequently said venues scheduled to host forthcoming shows had told it they would not permit concerts featuring Macklemore, potentially jeopardising the performances.
The controversy widened when Ed’s remaining support acts – Finneas O’Connell, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe – withdrew from the tour, while Irish group Beoga also pulled out of appearances accompanying Ed.
Ed subsequently returned to the stage in Philadelphia and addressed the dispute, describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable”.
He said he had attempted to find a resolution with venues and promoters and maintained removing Macklemore had not been his decision.
