Macklemore Announces 'Free Palestine' Tour After Ed Sheeran Exit

Macklemore has announced a "Free Palestine" tour, a series of live shows that will raise funds for humanitarian causes in Palestine. The US rapper, born Benjamin Haggerty, will perform alongside musicians and friends at concerts in Dublin, Paris and London. A North American run of dates will be announced at a later stage.

The announcement follows Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's US stadium tour. The rapper was dropped from the lineup after he called for a "free Palestine" onstage and addressed the people of Gaza and "the occupied West Bank" directly, telling them: "we have not forgotten about them."

What prompted the tour?

The dispute that preceded the announcement centres on Macklemore's onstage statements during Sheeran's US stadium dates. After voicing support for Palestine from the stage, the Seattle-born rapper was removed from the tour — a decision that drew wide attention to his remarks and set the stage for his response.

Rather than retreat from the controversy, Macklemore has converted it into a touring initiative with an explicit humanitarian purpose. The newly announced shows are framed as benefit concerts, with proceeds intended to support humanitarian aid organisations working in Palestine.

Where and when will the shows take place?

The European leg of the tour includes three confirmed cities:

• Dublin
• Paris
• London

Organisers have said that a North American leg will follow, though specific venues, dates and lineups for that run have yet to be disclosed. The European dates likewise do not yet have confirmed venues or on-sale information in the initial announcement.

Who is performing?

Macklemore will headline the shows, performing alongside what the announcement describes as "musicians and friends." The full roster of collaborating artists has not been specified, leaving open the possibility of guest appearances at each stop.

The rapper's commercial standing makes the initiative notable. Macklemore broke through as an independent artist and has a track record of chart-topping releases, giving the benefit tour a platform that extends beyond activist circles. His willingness to attach his name explicitly to the phrase "Free Palestine" — the tour's official title — signals that he intends to keep the political dimension of the project visible rather than soften it for broader audiences.

What comes next?

With a North American run still to be announced, the tour's scope is likely to grow. The response to the first announced dates — and to the circumstances of Macklemore's departure from Sheeran's tour — will shape how the music industry and other artists navigate similar political statements on major commercial stages in the months ahead.