Macklemore has officially been axed from Ed Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’ as the fallout from his headline-grabbing ‘Free Palestine’ speech reaches a dramatic new peak.
Indeed, after the controversy sparked a petition for his removal and subsequently pulled Pink into a fiery war of words, venues have reportedly drawn a line in the sand.
And the result? Macklemore is out.
Full story below…
The development comes after calls for the ‘Thrift Shop’ rapper to be removed from the trek intensified following his September 4 and 5 appearances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
There, Macklemore declared “Free Palestine”, delivered an impassioned speech, and performed protest track ‘Hind’s Hall’.
Now, Messina Touring Group, promoter of Sheeran’s US run, has confirmed his departure. In a statement first shared with Rolling Stone, the company said:
“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore had been scheduled to open eight of the remaining 10 US shows, with the tour due to resume September 19 in Philadelphia.
His removal arrives after an especially eventful week. The Israeli-American Council launched a petition demanding he be dropped, while the MC stood firm in his message.
The discourse widened further when Pink criticized elements of Macklemore’s presentation. After facing considerable blowback herself, the Pop superstar issued a lengthy statement defending her stance.
At writing, neither Macklemore nor Sheeran has publicly responded to the tour shake-up.
What a surprise. Corporate America and the pressure/lobby groups proving who really owns the US.