Macklemore's Palestine message sparks tour removal petition

Rapper Macklemore sparked controversy and a petition for his removal from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after using his opening set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to deliver a pro-Palestinian political message. The incident occurred during Sheeran's concert on September 5, 2026, and prompted immediate backlash from advocacy groups and some concertgoers. During his performance before tens of thousands of attendees, Macklemore, wearing a keffiyeh, told the audience he wanted to use the platform to say "Free Palestine." He stated that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He then led the crowd in chants of the phrase before performing his 2024 protest song "Hinds Hall." The song's title references a name given by protesters to Columbia University's Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations, and it is named for Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in the Gaza Strip. Videos from the event show footage from Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations displayed on the stadium's screens during the performance.