Billionaire Robert Kraft has confirmed that Macklemore has been barred from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, after the rapper said his support for Palestine led to his being dropped from pop star Ed Sheeran’s tour. Kraft said in a statement received by Al Jazeera on Monday that Macklemore’s recent performances and what he described as a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” led Gillette Stadium, which is owned and operated by the Kraft group, to determine that his appearances there on September 25 and 26 “would cross that line”. Macklemore also alleged that Kraft had rallied other stadium owners to issue an ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.” Kraft did not directly address the claim that he had contacted other stadium owners.
Macklemore made the allegations in a lengthy Instagram statement on Monday, the same day promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed that venues had refused to host upcoming shows with the rapper on the lineup. So I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth,” Macklemore wrote. Messina Touring Group, the tour promoter, confirmed Macklemore’s removal from the tour in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine on Monday.
Macklemore described Sheeran as a close friend of 13 years and said the two had several difficult conversations over the past week. The controversy began after Macklemore’s performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5, where he repeatedly voiced support for Palestinians and performed Hind’s Hall, his protest song inspired by the pro-Palestinian student movement. The Israeli American Council later launched a petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from Sheeran’s tour.
Pink also reposted criticism of the performance that called for an apology and ticket refunds. Macklemore argued that performing alongside one of the world’s biggest artists had made his advocacy more threatening to those who opposed it. He said he hoped the dispute would not end his friendship with Sheeran, but made clear he did not regret speaking out.
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