Macklemore Says Nine US Arenas Declined Palestine Benefit Tour
Macklemore says nine major US arenas turned down dates for his Free Palestine benefit tour after learning the shows would support Palestine. The venues he…
Macklemore says nine arenas turned down his Free Palestine tour in the United States after learning the shows would raise funds for Palestine. The rapper named the venues in an Instagram statement, saying dates had been available through the end of the year before they were taken off the table.
The arenas he identified include Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center and UBS Arena in the New York area; Intuit Dome, Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles; Chase Center in San Francisco; and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, along with Prudential Center.
His claim leaves fans without announced US dates for the benefit tour, which has already played in Dublin, London and Paris. Macklemore said the plan from the start had been to bring the shows home.
Why does Macklemore say the venues declined?
Macklemore said the arenas had provided available dates by mid-September, but that the dates were withdrawn after venues learned the shows were benefits for Palestine. He described the process as a series of different conversations with the same outcome.
“The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues,” Macklemore wrote.
The rapper characterized the refusals as intimidation and suppression, arguing that pressure can discourage entertainers from speaking publicly. The venues he named had not offered a response in the source accounts.
The dispute follows Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after he made an onstage speech supporting Palestine. Sheeran said US venues had told him they would refuse to host a show if Macklemore remained on the bill.
Sheeran said his decision did not mean he lacked personal views on the conflict. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t care,” he said.
From European benefit shows to a US venue dispute
Macklemore’s Free Palestine benefit tour has held shows in Dublin, London and Paris. The Guardian account said the European run took place last month and described the shows as a fundraiser; Macklemore said the crowds included people from different backgrounds and that artists and speakers had backed Palestinian liberation.
“Three sold-out arenas. Tens of thousands of people from different backgrounds, religions and walks of life standing together,” he wrote about the European shows.
The US venue issue matters because it affects whether the benefit tour can reach audiences at home and raise funds through further performances. Macklemore’s statement presents the arena decisions as the obstacle; his account does not announce replacement venues or new US dates.
He said he would rather lose opportunities in the music industry than stay silent to preserve professional relationships. “Trying to silence us will only make the message louder,” Macklemore wrote.
