Dublin — Macklemore called for unity, freedom and dignity during the opening night of his “Free Palestine” tour in Dublin, Ireland, just over a month after he was dropped as an opening act for Ed Sheeran following political remarks he made on stage.
The rapper dedicated the concert to “love and liberation” and welcomed surprise guests Hozier and Kneecap before addressing the controversy surrounding his public support for Palestine.
Reflecting on the events that unfolded six weeks earlier, Macklemore said his message had been rooted in compassion rather than division.
“Six weeks ago, it was two words. Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation,” he said. “Not against anybody, not divisive. Not a call for hatred. But a call to recognize our shared humanity. Free Palestine. I said free Palestine! The same thing that I want for all of us, freedom, dignity, the right to exist without fear. Being able to raise our children in the homes that we grew up in, not having to prove our humanity to the rest of the world.”
He argued that the phrase had provoked a disproportionate reaction from some people, adding that calls for freedom should not be separated from the suffering experienced by Palestinians.
“And yet,” he continued, “those words, those two words, right, those two words are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean. Because freedom that requires another person’s oppression is not freedom at all. I said freedom that requires another person’s oppression is not freedom at all.”
Macklemore then pointed to images of destruction and families affected by the conflict, questioning why expressions of support for Palestinian freedom had become so contentious.
“And while the world debates those words, we see the videos, we see the footage, we see parents pulling their children out of the rubble. Families erased. Devastation beyond our imagination. And somehow, those words have become more controversial than the suffering that made them necessary.”
He said music could provide a space for collective resistance, allowing people to share their experiences and mobilize through compassion.
“That’s why we are here tonight. That is why we are here, because throughout history, music has given people a place to resist, to come together as a collective, to share our grief, to share our stories, to move from the heart, to mobilize people with the frequency of love. The heartbeat in our drum that makes us feel alive, that makes us feel connected.”
The Dublin performance marked the first of three concerts on the “Free Palestine” tour, which will also visit Paris and London. All proceeds from the shows will go to charities supporting Palestine. Macklemore has also donated his $1 million salary from Sheeran’s tour to the cause.
Macklemore was removed from the remainder of Sheeran’s U.S. “Loop” tour on Sept. 14 after voicing support for Palestine and delivering political speeches during two concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5.
During the Sept. 4 performance, he explained why he had wanted to join the tour and use the platform to express his views.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine.’ I said, ‘Free Palestine!’” he said. “I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
The remarks quickly went viral, prompting criticism from pop star Pink and a petition by the Israeli American Council seeking his removal from Sheeran’s tour.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert — not a political rally, not a protest and not an activist event,” the organization said. “The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
At his Sept. 5 concert, Macklemore again said “free Palestine,” while clarifying that his declaration was “in no way a criticism” of Jewish people.
A week later, he was removed from the tour. Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind Sheeran’s U.S. concerts, said it had received notice from venues that they would not permit shows featuring Macklemore on the lineup. The promoter warned that this could lead to the tour being canceled, affecting hundreds of thousands of fans.
“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,” the group said.
Several of Sheeran’s other opening acts, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. Most members of Sheeran’s backing band also left.
Macklemore subsequently alleged that Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, had refused to let him perform at the venue and had encouraged other stadium owners to do the same. Kraft later announced that he and Sheeran would each donate $2 million to “aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.”
Sheeran also issued a lengthy statement explaining that the decision to remove Macklemore had been made by the promoter, not by him. He addressed his decision to avoid public political commentary, a position that prompted further criticism.
“Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way,” Sheeran wrote.
He explained that his concerts attracted young people and children from a range of backgrounds, and that he did not want his professional platform to become a political forum.
“There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics — my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”
Sheeran added that he preferred to use his public profile to foster a welcoming environment and maintain open dialogue rather than close off conversations through confrontation. He also argued that advocacy could take different forms.
However, at his first concert after Macklemore’s departure, held in Philadelphia on Sept. 19, Sheeran publicly addressed the Israel-Gaza war.
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate,” he said.
“Our hearts can be broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
Macklemore, who performed a one-off concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on October 22, is scheduled to continue his “Free Palestine” tour in Paris on Thursday before performing in London on Friday.
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