Macklemore begins Free Palestine tour after Ed Sheeran fallout
Proceeds from the tour, which begins in Dublin next month, will go to organisations supporting Palestinians, he says.
Macklemore launches Free Palestine tour after fallout with Ed Sheeran
Macklemore has said he will donate the money raised from his tour to groups that support Palestinians.
The American rapper has kicked off his Free Palestine tour in Dublin, following Ed Sheeran’s disputed decision to remove him from his tour last month.
He is performing for a crowd of as many as 13,000 at the city’s 3Arena, and before the sold-out show he said there would be "many incredible surprise guests".
The performer, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, announced the tour days after being dropped from Sheeran’s Loop Tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.
Jewish groups criticised him after he said "Free Palestine" at two concerts and delivered political speeches, including describing the death toll from Israel’s military operation in Gaza as a genocide - a claim Israel denies.
Sheeran later emphasised that the choice to drop Macklemore was made by his promoter, not by him.
Macklemore has said the proceeds from his Free Palestine tour will be given to organisations backing Palestinians.
He is due to perform in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday.
The Israeli military began its Gaza campaign in response to an unprecedented Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 70,000 people have been killed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN considers reliable.
Israel says its forces carry out self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in line with international law.
Tickets for the Dublin concert sold out, and dozens of fans were queuing outside the venue hours before the doors opened.
Some wore Palestinian jerseys, had tied Palestinian and Irish flags to themselves, and many had keffiyeh scarves, which are a symbol of Palestinian identity.
Outside the arena, sellers offered Palestinian bucket hats and flags, along with hats and flags bearing the logo of Irish rap trio Kneecap.
Nicola McCollough and her daughter Lily Rose Murphy say they are big fans of Macklemore
Nicola McCollough travelled from Belfast with her daughter Lily Rose Murphy for Lily Rose’s first concert ever.
Both said they were glad Macklemore had spoken out in support of Gaza.
"More people need to, if you have the platform, do it because not everybody has that kind of stage," said Nicola.
"I would speak about anything if I'm supportive of it," said Lily Rose.
Gillian Duffy and her son Joshua were among those in the queue for the gig
Gillian Duffy also came from Cork with her son Joshua.
She said that if Macklemore had "put on 10 shows in Dublin, all 10 would have been filled".
"This is the hottest ticket because people want to be here, they really, really want to show their support," she said.
"You're going to hear [the chant] 'Free, free Palestine' all over Dublin tonight."
Jess O'Riordan travelled from Cork and said it was "absolutely appalling" when he was "kicked off" Sheeran's tour.
"I wish we had more people out there that would use their platform the way he does," she added.
The dispute started when Macklemore, appearing as Sheeran’s opening act at a concert in New Jersey in early September, said: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."
The Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University in the US.
The lyrics criticise Israel’s military actions in Gaza after the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023.
After he was removed from the tour on 14 September, Macklemore accused stadium owners of joining together to force him out.
He was also accused by billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric about Israel and Gaza.
Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore from his tour was made by concert promoter Messina Touring Group.
His initial comments prompted all of his support acts to withdraw from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, and fans to voice frustration.
Sheeran later addressed the row at the start of a show in Philadelphia.
He said he had made "mistakes" in handling the fallout, apologising to fans and taking a position on the Israel-Gaza conflict, which he said was "a humanitarian issue".
He called the 7 October 2023 attacks "horrific" and also described the situation in Gaza as "unjustifiable and disproportionate".