Macklemore Faces Calls to Be Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour Over Pro-Palestine Set

Macklemore Facing Calls to Boot Him From Ed Sheeran Tour Published September 6, 2026 5:15 PM PDT Macklemore is catching serious heat for turning his opening set on Ed Sheeran's tour into a political statement ... and now an Israeli-American group wants him booted from the remaining shows. The "Thrift Shop" rapper opened for Ed Friday and Saturday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he used part of his set to voice support for Palestinians and rip Israel's conduct in Gaza. Waiting for your permission to load the Twitter Tweet. Macklemore repeatedly shouted "Free Palestine" and performed his 2024 protest track "Hind's Hall" as images tied to Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations flashed behind him. That didn't sit well with the Israeli-American Council, which has launched a petition calling on Sheeran and tour organizers to dump Macklemore from the rest of the "Loop" tour ... arguing fans paid for a concert, not a political rally. The petition does not publicly show how many signatures it has collected. The reaction online has been predictably fiery ... with some concertgoers saying they walked out and accusing Macklemore of pushing antisemitic rhetoric, while others defended his decision to use the stage to speak about the war. As TMZ has previously reported ... Macklemore has been outspoken on the Israel-Palestine conflict for years. Back in 2024, singer-songwriter Matisyahu ripped "Hind's Hall" as antisemitic ... telling TMZ he believed the song was only making an already ugly divide worse. Macklemore also sparked outrage that same year when he chanted "f*** America" during a pro-Palestinian festival in Seattle. Macklemore Ed Sheeran Matisyahu Pop Music Current Events Controversial S#!T Music Concerts and Tours