Macklemore announces Free Palestine Tour after Ed Sheeran controversy

Macklemore has announced a series of European concerts, called the Free Palestine Tour, after he was controversially dropped as Ed Sheeran's support act.

The rapper revealed he had spent the last week reaching out to artists who have "used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people," to finalise a line-up.

Writing on Instagram, the US star said that: "Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out."

The first three shows will be played in October in Dublin, Paris and London's Wembley Arena, with plans to announce more cities and dates in the coming weeks, including in the US.

All proceeds from the concerts will benefit organisations working in support of Palestinian people in areas including medical care, humanitarian assistance and education, including Gaza Soup Kitchen, Heal Palestine, and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Announcing the shows on Instagram, he said: "If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it's that something has shifted over the last three years.

"There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now."

Notedly, he added: "It's 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn't work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community.

"To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it."

Tickets will go on sale on 30 September.

How the row started

Macklemore, 43, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped as the opening act on Sheeran's Loop tour following pro-Palestine comments he made during a show in New Jersey.

Gillette Stadium and New England Patriots' owner Robert Kraft barred the rapper from performing in the Massachusetts venue, saying he would not "provide a platform for hate speech".

Following his removal from the tour, Sheeran's other support acts, including his backing band, Danish band Lukas Graham and Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, Finneas, subsequently pulled out in protest.

On Sunday, Sheeran apologised to fans for the handling of a controversy which has threatened to engulf his tour.

While addressing fans, the star admitted to "making mistakes" and said "I'm so, so sorry for them".

"I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet."

He went on to say that: "What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, children's lives."

Last week, Mr Kraft said in a statement that: "I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."

"In addition, I'd like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships."

What is happening in the region?

On 7 October 2023, Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, overwhelmingly civilians, and abducted 251 people from inside Israel.

The last remaining hostages were only released, or their remains were returned, under the ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago.

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Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its figures but says around half were women and children.

The ministry's figures are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, and the death toll has been accepted by Israel. Since an October 2025 ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed.

Israel says it only targets militants and takes extraordinary measures to avoid harming civilians, blaming their deaths on Hamas because it operates in dense residential areas.

Major rights groups and experts have accused Israel of genocide, allegations it denies.

(c) Sky News 2026: Macklemore announces Free Palestine Tour after Ed Sheeran controversy