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Rapper Macklemore has publicly accused several of America’s most prominent music venues of refusing to host his pro-Palestine benefit tour. He made the claim in an Instagram post on November 6, alleging that arenas blocked his shows after learning about their purpose.
Venues Named in the Allegations
Macklemore named nine venues he says turned him away. These include Madison Square Garden in New York City, the Prudential Center in New Jersey, Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and UBS Arena on Long Island. He also named the Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Chase Center in San Francisco, and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
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According to Macklemore, the venues initially appeared cooperative. “By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year,” he wrote. However, he says that changed once the venues learned the nature of the shows. “But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table.”
Macklemore Speaks Out on Free Speech
The rapper described the situation as unlike anything he had encountered in his career. “In over 20 years of touring, I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he wrote. He added that he would rather sacrifice industry opportunities than protect those who, in his words, value business relationships with Israel over Palestinian lives.
Macklemore also framed the issue as a broader free speech concern. “We live in a country that prides itself on freedom of speech,” he wrote. “Yet we’ve reached a point where a handful of billionaires can decide which causes are acceptable, which voices are welcome and which human lives are worth defending.” He closed his post with the words: “They may own the arenas. But they do not own the people who fill them. And they never will. FREE PALESTINE!”
Earlier Controversy With Ed Sheeran Tour
This is not the first time Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian stance has created professional consequences. In September, Ed Sheeran’s team removed him from the “Loop” tour after he made pro-Palestinian comments during his opening set at MetLife Stadium. Following his removal, all other opening acts and Sheeran’s own backing band quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Meanwhile, his recent tour did move forward in other parts of the world. He performed dates in Dublin, Paris, and London in late October. Variety contacted all nine arenas named in his post for comment. At the time of publication, no responses had been received.
