Photo: Collected
At his first concert since being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s North America tour, Macklemore again raised the slogan ‘Free Palestine’. The American rapper performed 17 songs at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday local time. It was his first time on stage since he was removed from Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’ in September.
Addressing the audience, Macklemore said surviving as a human being at this time is nothing very complicated, nor is it a matter of politics. Having a heart, feeling the pain of others when you see it and saying ‘No more, enough is enough!’ is all that humanity means. He then said ‘Free Palestine’ twice, and spoke of freeing Sudan. He called for the liberation of Congo, Lebanon and Haiti too. He also raised the plight of those in the United States who are too afraid of ICE even to leave their homes.
He ended his remarks by saying their message is always the same: love. NME reported that the audience showed their support with applause and cheers after he said this. According to The Mary Sue, the crowd’s response was loudest when he raised the issue of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The episode began on 4 September. That day, at Sheeran’s concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore chanted ‘Free Palestine’ before performing his 2024 song ‘Hind’s Hall’. He made the same call the following night. Then on 14 September, the tour’s US promoter, Messina Touring Group, announced that Macklemore would no longer appear at any concerts. According to the organisers, several venue authorities had refused to have him as a performer.
Macklemore claims that Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts is owned by the company of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and that it was Kraft who gave Sheeran an ultimatum. Kraft himself has confirmed that the decision not to let Macklemore perform at Gillette Stadium was his. As reasons, he cited Macklemore’s ‘recent conduct’ and his ‘long history of using antisemitic rhetoric and imagery’.
Kraft said the decision was not intended to deny the suffering of Palestinians or curtail the right to speak up for them. He added that he would welcome the opportunity to sit down and talk with Macklemore.
Macklemore wrote on Instagram that he did not need 10 shows from Ed; he needed two opportunities to stand in front of 90,000 people and say things that, for some reason, have now become extremely dangerous to utter.
Sheeran said the decision was not his. He wrote on Instagram that Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not with him. In his words, the venues had said they would cancel the shows if Macklemore remained on the line-up.
Sheeran said he is heartbroken by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He also praised Macklemore’s conviction, saying he has the mental strength to stand up loudly for his beliefs. The next day, the tour’s other supporting artists, Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, left the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Sheeran’s own band, Beoga, followed suit. At his 19 September show in Philadelphia, Sheeran sincerely apologised to the audience and admitted he had made a mistake. The two shows he was due to play at Gillette Stadium on 25 and 26 September were later cancelled because of a storm.
Macklemore pledged his own $1 million from the ‘Loop Tour’ to six organisations working to help Palestinians, and called on Kraft to donate the same amount. Kraft later announced a donation of $2 million (7.3 million dirhams), but did not say who would receive the money. Then on 24 September, Macklemore announced his own ‘Free Palestine Tour’.
Proceeds from the tour will go to various organisations helping Palestinians. The tour begins on 26 October at Dublin’s 3Arena, followed by Paris on 29 October and London’s Wembley Arena on 30 October. Happy Mag says all tickets for the three shows have sold out.
Macklemore said he has reached out to many artists who have shown the courage to use their platforms to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Some shows may also take place in the United States, but no dates have been finalised yet.
At a glance
According to a 7 May 2024 report by The New Arab, the song ‘Hind’s Hall’ was written in dedication to Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli troops while trapped in her family’s car in Gaza City.
The same report said protesters at Columbia University had renamed Hamilton Hall ‘Hind’s Hall’, which is where the song got its name.
On the day the song was released, 6 May 2024, Macklemore announced that its proceeds would go to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Mxdwn reported that day.
Sources
Original report: Bangladesh Pratidin
Background sources: The New Arab, 7 May 2024; mxdwn, 6 May 2024
