Macklemore says nine US arenas refused to host his Free Palestine tour

Nine arenas decline the US leg

On Friday, 6 November, Macklemore posted a statement on Instagram saying that nine American arenas had turned down his Free Palestine tour. He said the plan from the start had been to bring the run home to the United States, but that no US dates are currently planned. The post, which ran across seven slides, named each venue, including Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Crypto.com Arena and Chase Center. The list also included Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, UBS Arena, Prudential Center and Climate Pledge Arena, with venues in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. He wrote that the arenas had been contacted for weeks before the refusals came in.

“From the beginning, our plan was to bring this tour home to the U.S.”

Dates offered, then withdrawn

He says that by mid-September the same arenas had offered available dates running through the end of the year. Once they learned the concerts were benefit shows for Palestine, he said, those dates were removed. He described the talks as different in each case, yet the outcome was identical: the shows would not be allowed in those venues. He framed the episode in wider terms, saying that intimidation, manipulation and suppression are tools used by those in power to keep entertainers quiet.

“In over 20 years of touring, I've never experienced anything like this.”

From Ed Sheeran's tour to Europe

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour in September, after a brief speech in support of "the occupied West Bank" during his opening set. Sheeran has claimed that US venues told him they would refuse to host the show if Macklemore remained as the support act. Sheeran was accused of failing to stand up to stadium owners, led by billionaire Robert Kraft, and all of Sheeran's support acts pulled out in solidarity with Macklemore. The rapper then staged the Free Palestine benefit tour, opening at Dublin's 3Arena on 26 October with Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga. London and Paris followed, and proceeds from the series go to organisations supporting Palestinians.

Who Macklemore is

Macklemore, 43, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, became internationally known in 2012 as half of the duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, with the hits "Thrift shop" (2012) and "Can't hold us" (2013). In 2014 the duo won four Grammy Awards, including best new artist and best rap album. His 2012 song "Same love" argued for accepting same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Since the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, he has repeatedly spoken out for Palestinians at concerts, using Palestinian flags, slogans such as "Free Palestine" and protest songs including "Hind's hall" and "Hind's hall 2". He has said he will keep looking for venues to play, and that he would rather lose opportunities in the industry than keep protecting business ties with Israel above Palestinian life.