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Macklemore's Free Palestine Tour Sold Out Immediately
Confirmed
In Short: Rapper Macklemore announced his Free Palestine Tour, which sold out immediately after tickets went on sale.
Rapper Macklemore announced his Free Palestine Tour, which sold out immediately after tickets went on sale, just six days after the initial announcement.
The tour, which will take place in Dublin, Paris, and London from October 26 to October 30, aims to raise funds for organizations supporting the Palestinian people.
Macklemore expressed his surprise at the quick sell-out, stating, 'I’m honestly blown away.' He added, 'When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance.
The tour's immediate success comes in the wake of Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour earlier this month due to his pro-Palestine comments made during a performance.
Macklemore’s comments at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he performed his song 'Hind’s Hall,' which calls for a 'free Palestine' and criticizes Israel's actions in Gaza, led to his removal from the tour.
In response to the controversy, Sheeran faced backlash from fans and commentators for his decision to remain publicly neutral on the issue, stating it was the promoter's decision to remove Macklemore.
Following Sheeran’s decision, other opening acts, including Finneas, Aaron Rowe, and Lukas Graham, dropped out of the tour, along with Sheeran’s backing band Beoga.
Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside Sheeran’s Loop Tour stop in Philadelphia to call him out for dropping Macklemore, and Sheeran apologized onstage for the situation.
Macklemore’s tour is a direct response to the controversy, aiming to raise funds and awareness for the Palestinian cause.
The rapper emphasized the importance of solidarity and collective action in his statement, saying, 'We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like.
While Macklemore’s tour has been a resounding success, Sheeran’s tour has faced challenges, with resale prices for tickets dropping on various sites.
Background
Rapper Macklemore announced his Free Palestine Tour, which sold out immediately after tickets went on sale.
Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after just two shows following his performance of 'Hind's Hall,' a song that calls for a 'free Palestine' and criticizes Israel's actions in Gaza.
What's confirmed
- If you didn’t get tickets for any of the three dates announced so far for Macklemore’s Free Palestine Tour, you’re out of luck.
- He announced his own headlining tour just six days ago, with all proceeds going to organizations supporting Palestine.
- “I’m honestly blown away,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
- He also hasn’t revealed dates for the US leg of the tour—but he’s probably a little busy right now.
- Hours after the public on-sale began today, the musician announced on Instagram that “all three shows sold out immediately.” It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Macklemore, who was removed as an opening act for Ed Sheeran’s arena tour after making Pro-Palestine comments on stage.
- Since then, Macklemore has been even more vocal about his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict ( in contrast to Sheeran ) and shared a lengthy statement on Instagram after getting booted from the tour.
- Macklemore has said that tickets for his Free Palestine tour, announced in the wake of the Ed Sheeran concert fallout, have sold out immediately.
- “I’m honestly blown away,” Macklemore said in a statement announcing that the tour had sold out.
- “When those in power try to silence our calls for liberation, art will always be a form of resistance. Dublin, Paris and London, thank you for showing up the way you did. The response to these shows is another reminder of how many people across the world are standing together for a free Palestine,” he added.
- Earlier this month, Macklemore announced he had been dropped from the U.S. dates of Sheeran’s Loop tour over his pro-Palestine comments onstage.
- The fallout continued when Sheeran’s other opening acts withdrew, while protesters gathered outside his first concert without Macklemore last week.
- While Macklemore responded to the situation by announcing a fundraising tour of his own, it seems that fans who have changed their mind about seeing Sheeran are struggling to sell their tickets, with resale prices sinking on various sites.
What's still developing
- On Wednesday, the 4x Grammy winner revealed that all three shows on his tour in support of Palestinians “sold out immediately” after he announced the tour last week.
- Opting to remain publicly neutral on the issue, Sheeran subsequently released a statement saying it was the “ promoter’s decision ” after Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft assembled several of the tour venues to give him an ultimatum.
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- Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft — the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium — personally called Sheeran to say he would not be allowed to perform at the venue.
- “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore said.
- Macklemore didn’t name any of these support artists because, as he said, he’s still working out the details.