After being removed from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, Macklemore has announced that he will return to the stage for his “Free Palestine” tour, with all proceeds to benefit Palestinian aid organizations.
asserted
proceeds → remove → organizations
The run will begin with three dates next month in Europe.
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run → begin → Europe
It kicks off at Dublin’s 3Arena on Oct. 26, followed by Paris’ Accor Arena on Oct. 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Oct. 30.
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It → kick → Oct.
An artist presale begins at 10 a.m. local time on Monday on the rapper’s website.
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presale → begin → website
The Thrift Shop rapper took to Instagram on Thursday to announce the tour, writing, “If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years.
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something → take → 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.
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we → try → artists
”
“It’s 2026.
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It → ’ → ?
Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore.
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Being → work → genocide
People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community.
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People → ask → community
To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it,” he continued.
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he → push → it
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage.
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happened → happen → artist
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.”
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everyone → decide → attention
The 43-year-old rapper said that his “schedule freed up a bit” and 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, regardless of the consequences.”
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who → say → consequences
“Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe,” Macklemore added.
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Macklemore → understand → them
“Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out.
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lot → come → conversations
But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.
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this → be → momentum
So we’re going on tour.”
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we → go → tour
“All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement,” his post concluded.
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post → benefit → people
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According to a press release from Live Nation, the shows will benefit several Palestinian aid organizations, including Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, HEAL Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians.
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shows → get → Palestinians
Last week, Macklemore made headlines when he revealed that he had been dropped as the opener from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his onstage comments supporting a Palestinian state.
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he → make → state
The Glorious rapper took to Instagram after Sheeran’s tour promoter issued a statement to Rolling Stone, alleging that venues on the U.S. tour told the company they would “not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.”
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concert → take → lineup
In response, Macklemore said his removal was the result of an effort led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots.
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removal → say → Patriots
His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the NFL team plays and where Sheeran is scheduled to perform later this month.
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Sheeran → own → Stadium
At the time, Sheeran said the decision to cut Macklemore from the Loop Tour was the promoter’s, not his own.
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decision → say → Tour
All of Sheeran’s other supporting acts dropped out, including a group that plays with Sheeran during part of the show, following the announcement of Macklemore’s removal.
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that → support → removal
Macklemore also announced he would donate $1 million from his net earnings from the Loop Tour to Palestinian relief funds and urged Kraft to follow suit.
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he → announce → suit
In a statement released shortly after Macklemore pledged $1 million, Kraft, said he was contacted by Sheeran, who asked him to make a $2 million donation to “aid in the region.”
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who → release → region
In the statement, Kraft said he was asked to match a $2 million endowment he said Sheeran was making.
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Sheeran → say → endowment
During his first show since Macklemore was dropped from the tour, Sheeran told the crowd that he was receiving backlash for staying silent.
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he → drop → backlash
“This is not usually how I would open the show, but before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s OK if I say a few words about this last week,” he began.
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he → open → this
Sheeran said that he doesn’t want to “disappoint fans” and he never “wanted to be an activist musician.”
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he → say → fans
“Now, I want to address the question of where I stand on Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand,” he continued.
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he → want → concert
“I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics.
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music → try → humanity
But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.
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I → hide → it
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
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happened → happen → pain
What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate.
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happening → happen → Gaza
My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” Sheeran said.
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Sheeran → break → lives
“The systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.
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we → see → Bank
I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough.”
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I → speak → enough
Later during the concert, Sheeran became emotional and told his fans that “the last week of my life has been one of the worst weeks of my life.”
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week → become → life
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
