Macklemore says nine major U.S. arenas have turned down his Free Palestine benefit tour. In a November 6 Instagram statement, the rapper accused the venues of withdrawing available dates after learning what the shows would support.
The 43-year-old said his team had received possible bookings through the end of 2026 by mid-September. His account concerns attempts to arrange new concerts, rather than the cancellation of an announced American tour.
MSG Entertainment offered a different explanation. “We have some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability and he’s not an arena level act,” a spokesperson told Us Weekly.
Macklemore said he would keep organizing benefits with other artists and suggested that future performances could move outdoors. He did not announce new dates or locations.
His List Includes Arenas on Both Coasts
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In the New York metropolitan area, Macklemore named Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Prudential Center and UBS Arena. His Los Angeles-area list included Intuit Dome, the Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena.
Chase Center in San Francisco and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle completed the list. He argued that venue owners were using their control over concert spaces to determine which political causes artists could support, according to Variety.
“Today it’s Palestine. What will it be tomorrow?” he wrote. Macklemore said he was prepared to lose industry opportunities rather than stop speaking in support of Palestinians.
Pitchfork contacted representatives for all nine venues. Its report said only Madison Square Garden had responded when the article was published.
The Benefits Followed His Removal From Ed Sheeran’s Tour
In September, Macklemore lost his remaining opening slots on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks during performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Promoter Messina Touring Group said venue owners had warned that concerts could not proceed with him on the bill.
Sheeran addressed the dispute on September 15, saying the removal was the promoter’s decision, not his. He said he had participated in talks with venue owners, promoters and activists in an unsuccessful effort to resolve the disagreement, as ABC News reported.
Sheeran also said the objections concerned how Macklemore had conveyed part of his message, rather than everything he had said. Other performers subsequently withdrew from Sheeran’s tour, including Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas and Beoga.
Macklemore announced his own series of benefits on September 24. The concerts were billed as Macklemore & Friends, with guest musicians and speakers joining him rather than a conventional solo headline show.
Guest Artists Joined the Dublin, Paris and London Shows
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The European run began at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, followed by Paris’ Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30.
Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga appeared at the Dublin concert, alongside Palestinian singer Lina Makhoul and Palestinian American DJ Habibeats. Mark Ruffalo contributed a video message, according to Euronews‘ coverage. Paloma Faith was among the performers who joined the tour in London.
After the final show, Macklemore shared photographs and thanked the musicians, speakers and ticket buyers who had participated. In the post, covered by the Irish Examiner on November 3, he described five intense weeks of recruiting artists, organizing logistics and attending meetings before the concerts came together.
Concert Proceeds Were Pledged to 12 Organizations
OVO Arena Wembley‘s event listing said all concert proceeds would benefit 12 organizations. The named recipients included Anera, Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
The beneficiaries also included the Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Institute for Middle East Understanding. The venue described the supported work as extending beyond medical care and humanitarian assistance to education, community support, advocacy, organizing and media.
Macklemore’s website identifies a separate mechanism for contributions: gifts to the Macklemore Fund for Palestine are powered by PLUS1, a registered U.S. nonprofit.