On September 14, Macklemore was dropped from the opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s ongoing stadium tour over onstage remarks the rapper made at Sheeran’s New Jersey concerts, including a call for a “free Palestine.” Macklemore subsequently released a statement in which he blamed both Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft and Sheeran himself for booting him from the tour. Now, Sheeran has responded with a statement of his own, posted to his Instagram account.
“Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist,” Sheeran wrote. “After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said.” He described speaking with Kraft directly, but asserted that “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”
Sheeran also addressed his own commitment to political neutrality: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. 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.” He cited the presence of “young people, often children” at his concerts as part of his rationale. “I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary,” Sheeran added, “to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change.”
The statement concludes, “I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so. I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.” Read it in full below.
Macklemore has publicly opposed Israel’s war in Gaza for several years. During his opening sets for Sheeran, he had been showing footage of the destruction in Gaza and performing “Hind’s Hall,” his song named for Hind Rajab, a six-year-old killed by Israeli military. “So why is it an issue now?”, he wrote yesterday. “Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk.”
Both Kraft and Messina Touring Group also issued statements on Macklemore’s removal from the tour. The concert promoter, a subsidiary of AEG, confirmed that multiple venues had joined Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in opposing the rapper’s presence on the bill. In his post, Macklemore accused Kraft of rallying [the owners of those venues/those venues’ owners] to follow his lead.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)—one of the primary organizations behind the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) initiative—has now called on Sheeran to cancel his tour entirely. In a direct response to Sheeran’s new statement, PACBI wrote, “Ed Sheeran’s misleading statement attempts to ‘both-sides’ Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and claims to support “peace” yet fails to even mention its crucial condition—justice.”
Ed Sheeran:
I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated.
Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist.
