Macklemore has announced that he is going on tour with a series of ‘Free Palestine’ live performances next month.
The US rapper was dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s US tour following controversy over comments he made in support of Palestine during a concert in New Jersey earlier this month.
He spoke in support of people in Gaza and the West Bank from the stage while performing at MetLife Stadium. A number of Irish musicians later pulled out of Sheeran’s world tour following Macklemore’s removal.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has said he has spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people to bring them together for the upcoming tour.
The tour will kick off in Dublin on October 26 with a gig at the 3Arena. Macklemore will go on to play Accor Arena in Paris on October 29 and OVO Arena Wembley in London on October 30.
The gigs will bring Macklemore together with artists and friends for a series of performances that center around Palestine and Palestinians, and help provide humanitarian aid and support to the movement.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Thursday, Macklemore 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.
“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.
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.
“So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.”
He went on to explain that he had spent the last week contacting artists “who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe”.
“Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done. So we’re going on tour,” he said.
For updates and first access to tickets, people can visit macklemore.com. Presale starts next Monday at 10am and general sale will take place next Wednesday at 10am. All proceeds from the gigs will benefit organisations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.
