Macklemore opens Free Palestine tour with Dublin concert

Macklemore opened his Free Palestine tour with a sold-out concert at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, performing alongside Hozier, Kneecap, Beoga and other guests. The show began a three-date European run announced after Macklemore was removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran’s tour in September. Tickets for the Dublin concert sold out within minutes, with 13,000 tickets reported as sold. The lineup also included Palestinian singer Lina Makoul and Palestinian-American DJ and producer DJ Habibeatz. Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga were among the Irish acts on the bill; Beoga had previously withdrawn from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore. At the end of his set, Macklemore said he was proud to stand in solidarity with Palestinians and would continue the struggle for collective liberation. He said proceeds from the tour would go to organisations supporting Palestinians. No total or allocation among recipient organisations was reported. The concert followed Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s US tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian remarks during performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in early September. Sheeran said the decision was made by the tour...