Macklemore's Free Palestine Tour Sells Out Immediately After Ed Sheeran Tour Axing

Rapper Macklemore has announced that his newly created "Free Palestine" tour has sold out all three dates immediately after tickets went on sale. The tour was announced in response to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour for making pro-Palestine comments on stage.

Macklemore shared the news on Instagram, expressing his astonishment at the rapid sell-out. "I’m honestly blown away," he stated. "We put these shows together fast and in community, believing that musicians can stand in solidarity with Palestine, use the stage to raise funds and show what collective action can look like."

The "Macklemore & Friends: Free Palestine" tour is scheduled for Dublin on October 26, followed by dates in Paris and London. Proceeds from the concerts will benefit organizations supporting Palestine and the Palestinian movement. Macklemore described the tour as a response to attempts by those in power to "silence our calls for liberation," asserting that "art will always be a form of resistance."

The controversy began earlier this month when Macklemore used his opening set at MetLife Stadium to chant "Free Palestine" and deliver a speech advocating for the freedom of people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. He then performed his protest song "Hind's Hall," with visuals of the devastation in Gaza projected on screen. This led to a boycott petition and Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's tour, with stadium owner Robert Kraft accusing the rapper of hate speech and selective information dissemination.

In solidarity with Macklemore, all of Sheeran's opening acts – Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe, along with the backing band Beoga – announced they would be leaving the tour. Sheeran later addressed the situation, describing the past week as one of the worst of his life and apologizing to fans for the handling of the controversy.

"I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind," Sheeran said in a statement to fans, "but this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific... What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate."

Sheeran confirmed he would continue his current tour with a musician friend filling in for the departed openers, acknowledging the potential backlash they might face. Macklemore, known for his 2012 hit "Thrift Shop," emphasized that the issue extends beyond a single artist, urging attention to the power dynamics that can dictate which voices are heard. He stated, "When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention."