Macklemore is breaking his silence after being sensationally axed from Ed Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’.
And while the rapper says there is no bad blood with his longtime friend, he has offered a remarkably candid account of how the decision allegedly came to be, naming New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the process.
Full story below…
As reported, calls for Macklemore’s removal intensified after he declared “Free Palestine” while opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium.
The controversy subsequently pulled Pink into the fray, before promoters confirmed that the 43-year-old would no longer appear on the remaining US dates.
Now, in an extensive Instagram statement reported by Variety, Macklemore has laid out his version of events.
Before detailing the behind-the-scenes drama, he sought to shift the focus away from the celebrity fallout:
“I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world.
The victims are the Palestinian people.”
Macklemore then claimed Sheeran personally informed him that Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, had intervened.
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.
Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
The MC stressed that Sheeran was placed in a difficult position, but revealed that their conversations exposed a fundamental disagreement.
“He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with.
I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”
Despite the dispute, Macklemore said he hopes it does not end his 13-year friendship with the ‘Shape of You’ singer.
He also questioned why rhetoric he says he has used on stages for almost three years suddenly became untenable once he was appearing alongside one of the world’s biggest stars in major US stadiums.
And he closed with perhaps his most pointed reflection on losing the coveted opening slot:
“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say.
Free Palestine.
But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
Read Macklemore’s Full Statement on Ed Sheeran Tour Axing
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