Macklemore has announced a new concert tour called "Free Palestine" following his dismissal from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour over pro-Palestinian advocacy. The rapper will perform in Dublin, Paris, and London in late October, with plans to expand the tour to include U.S. shows later. Macklemore intends to use the proceeds from these concerts to support Palestinian charities, reflecting his ongoing commitment to advocating for Palestine amidst the conflict in Gaza.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Macklemore, a 43-year-old American rapper known for his hit "Thrift Shop," has launched a new tour called "Free Palestine" after being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour in early October due to his pro-Palestinian stance. The tour, which aims to benefit Palestinian aid organizations, kicks off with three dates in Europe: Dublin on Oct. 26 at the 3Arena, followed by Paris and London on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30 respectively.
On Instagram, Macklemore emphasized that he is reaching out to artists who support Palestinians "regardless of the consequences," asserting that it's crucial for artists to use their platforms beyond mere entertainment during a time when voices calling for Palestinian liberation are being silenced by influential figures. The rapper’s decision follows threats from venue owners in the U.S. who pressured Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the tour lineup, citing concerns over controversial political statements.
Proceeds from all shows will go towards organizations supporting Palestinians and raising awareness about their rights. Additional artists and U.S. dates are expected to be announced later.
Written for “Macklemore Free Palestine Tour” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Macklemore announces new Free Palestine tour, after Ed Sheeran tour dismissal
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Macklemore → announce → dismissal
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- Macklemore reveals his Free Palestine tour, just over a week after he was dismissed from Ed Sheeran’s tour.
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he → click → tour
- The “Thrift Shop” rapper’s announced tour is currently three stops in Europe in late October but will later include U.S. shows.
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tour → announce → shows
Macklemore remains firm in his commitment to the Palestinian cause amid Israel’s deadly war in Gaza.
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Macklemore → remain → Gaza
The “Same Love” and “Hind’s Hall” artist, after a recent $1-million donation to pro-Palestinian charities and years of public advocacy, now has a tour to prove it.
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artist → have → it
The Grammy winner, formerly of the “Thrift Shop” rap duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, announced the Free Palestine tour on Thursday, revealing a trio of concerts set to take place in late October in Dublin, Paris and London.
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winner → announce → Dublin
Though the tour poster does not disclose the acts joining him for the trio of shows, Macklemore said those artists — “who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people” — will be revealed at a later date.
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who → disclose → date
He also confirmed that dates for U.S. tour stops will come in a later announcement and that the entirety of proceeds from the shows will go to a handful of charities “supporting Palestine and the Palestinian movement.”
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entirety → confirm → Palestine
As Ed Sheeran continues his Loop tour, read on to learn about what led to the controversy surrounding it and the ensuing fallout.
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what → continue → it
The pink tour poster featured illustrations of doves carrying olive branches and symbols of the pro-Palestinian movement including a watermelon and the fishnet motif of keffiyeh fabric.
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poster → feature → fabric
In his Instagram caption, Macklemore referenced his dismissal from pop star Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour over his pro-Palestinian messaging and the ensuing fallout.
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Macklemore → reference → messaging
“If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years,” the rapper wrote on Instagram.
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rapper → show → Instagram
“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
In the span of less than two weeks, Sheeran’s Loop tour became an unexpected lightning rod for controversy and conversation about artist activism after Macklemore, a former opening act, called for Palestinian liberation during a set of performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.
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Macklemore → become → Jersey
Footage of Macklemore’s MetLife performance spread online, drawing criticism from some Jewish advocacy groups including StopAntisemitism, the Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League.
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Footage → spread → StopAntisemitism
Sheeran also faced mounting pressure from wealthy venue owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft, to remove Macklemore from his tour.
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Sheeran → face → tour
Macklemore confirms ‘Ed Sheeran and his team’ decided to remove him from the latter’s tour.
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Sheeran → confirm → tour
The ‘Thrift Shop’ musician faced scrutiny for his onstage support of Palestinians.
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musician → face → Palestinians
Within days, the promoter for Sheeran’s tour dismissed Macklemore from the shows.
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promoter → dismiss → shows
Sheeran denied having a role in booting Macklemore from his tour — though the rapper shared a different account.
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rapper → deny → account
In the wake of Macklemore’s dismissal, the remaining supporting acts for Sheeran’s tour, including Grammy winner Finneas and folk band Beoga (Sheeran’s backing band), pulled the plug on their future appearances on the Loop tour in solidarity.
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acts → remain → solidarity
Still, Sheeran carried on with his tour over the weekend, addressing the controversy and expressing a middling stance on Israel’s war in Gaza.
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Sheeran → carry → Gaza
Macklemore in his Instagram caption again accused Israel of genocide and said that “being apolitical” in wake of it “doesn’t work anymore.”
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being → accuse → it
The rapper, who said last week that his support for Palestinians has come at a professional cost, said fans are expecting more from the artists they support nowadays.
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they → say → artists
Apolitical singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is on the defense since Monday when Seattle rapper Macklemore announced that he had been dropped from Sheeran’s “Loop” tour.
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he → announce → tour
“People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community.
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People → ask → community
To use the stage for more than entertainment,” he said.
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he → use → entertainment
“To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”
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call → push → it
As Macklemore looked back on the past weeks’ events, he underlined his concern over billionaires choosing “which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear.”
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ones → look → stage
“Everyone should be paying attention,” he said.
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he → pay → attention
Macklemore kicks off his Free Palestine tour in Dublin on Oct. 26.
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Macklemore → kick → Oct.
The Aporia
