Macklemore‘s Free Palestine Tour is now underway, more than a month after the rapper was removed as an opener on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour making onstage comments in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and called for a “free Palestine.” The charity run kicked off in Dublin on Monday, Oct. 26, with special guest appearances from Hozier, Kneecap, and Boega, the backing band that dropped out of Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore. During his set, Hozier celebrated Ireland’s history of “global solidarity when it comes to emancipation and justice. A wonderful history of anti-racism, also.” The lineup for the event remained under wraps in the lead-up to the show.
Palestinian singer-songwriter Lina Makoul performed early in the night, as well as the rapper M-1 of Dead Prez and DJ Habibeats, a Palestinian-American DJ and producer. In addition to these artists, Macklemore arranged for guest speakers to address the crowd. The Irish actor Liam Cunningham delivered opening remarks at the start of the night.
Sheeran, meanwhile, said the decision to pull Macklemore from the Loop Tour came down to the venue owners and promoters, including the Kraft Group’s Robert Kraft. The livestream of their performance at Coachella last year, which included projections calling out Israel, was cut short without notice or explanation. Hozier has showed his support for Palestinians living in Gaza during his concerts for over two years.
During a headlining performance at the Governors Ball in 2025, the singer-songwriter advised the crowd “to say no to the types of imperialism that leads to the types of cycles of violence that we’re seeing at the moment,” and added a call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as “peace and safety and security for everybody in that region, which of course means seeing a Palestine that’s free from occupation.” Trending Stories Trump Delivers Surefire Closing Message for Midterms: Check Out Nicki Minaj’s ‘Beautiful Ass’ My Chemical Romance Face Legal Action From Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Over Stage Costumes Tate McRae Beats Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo in Hot 100 Race for ... Number Two Ethan Klein Confirms He'll ‘Remove Ownership’ From ‘H3 Podcast’ After Wife Accuses Him of Cheating Proceeds from the Free Palestine Tour will benefit a collection of organizations supporting the Palestinian movement, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, Palestinian Youth Movement, Heal Palestine, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Jewish Voices for Peace, UNRWA USA National Committee, and more. Macklemore’s sold-out Free Palestine Tour will continue in Paris on Oct. 29 followed by a performance in London on Oct. 30.
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