Outspoken rapper Macklemore is putting his money where his mouth is with the Free Palestine tour, three benefit shows in Paris, Dublin, and London. While the exact venues and lineups are still in the works, Macklemore's statement on social media said in part, "I’ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe."
Macklemore is set to play Dublin on October 26, Paris on October 29, and London on October 30. Per the rapper's Instagram, "Presale starts next Mon at 10am local, on sale next Wed at 10am local." Tickets will be available via macklemore.com.
Read the full transcript of Macklemore's Free Palestine tour announcement below.
If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.
It’s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore. People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.
What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. 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.
So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit.
I’ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences. Artists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we’re only willing to use them when it’s safe.
Because of how quickly all of this has come together, a lot of the conversations, schedules and details are still being worked out. But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done.
So we’re going on tour.
FREE PALESTINE TOUR.
Dublin
Paris
London
Artist announcements coming soon, as well as US dates.
Sign up for updates and first access to tickets at macklemore.com. Presale starts next Mon at 10am local, on sale next Wed at 10am local.
All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.
September has been a hectic month for Macklemore. In case you've been living under a rock: he was set to play 10 dates on longtime buddy Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, until he got on stage for the first two dates at MetLife Stadium and said "Free Palestine" both nights, playing footage of Israel's destruction of the Gaza Strip on the Jumbotron. A short while later, Macklemore announced that he had been booted from the tour, and that Sheeran had been under pressure from a consortium of venue owners led by Robert Kraft. In his own statement on social media the following day, Sheeran confirmed that he had been approached by Kraft, and said that he had been given an ultimatum to drop Macklemore as an opener or be barred from playing certain venues.
Though Sheeran said he was, "not complicit," his backing band and opening acts (including Billie Eilish's brother/producer FINNEAS) pulled out of the remaining tour dates in solidarity. Macklemore then committed to donating $1 million, his fee for the two Sheeran shows he played, to Palestine aid relief, challenging Robert Kraft to match him. Kraft then issued a vague statement on social media saying Sheeran approached him asking him to donate $2 million to charities in the region, but did not specify that he would actually be donating money or which organizations he would be supporting.
Ed Sheeran's first show in Philadelphia after the controversy was met with a protest outside the venue. Inside, Sheeran cried on stage and read a statement about the situation off the teleprompter. Watch The FADER staff discuss what the Sheeran-Macklemore dustup means for the future of politics and music below.
