‘Art will always be a form of resistance’: Macklemore says his ‘Free Palestine’ shows sold out after Kraft barred him from a Sheeran stadium date

Macklemore was meant to open for Ed Sheeran on the U.S. dates of the Loop tour. That plan fell apart last month. The rapper has since put together three shows of his own. He has now shared how those are going.

Macklemore says tickets for his Free Palestine tour sold out immediately, according to The Independent. The three October concerts will take place at Dublin’s 3 Arena, Paris’s Accor Arena and London’s Wembley Arena. Other musicians will join him, though their names have not been announced. All proceeds will reportedly go to organizations supporting Palestinians.

In a statement, Macklemore said, “I’m honestly blown away.” He said the shows came together “fast and in community,” adding that he believes musicians can use the stage to raise funds and stand in solidarity with Palestine.

Macklemore’s new shows follow fallout with Ed Sheeran

He also thanked Dublin, Paris and London for “showing up the way you did.” In his statement, he said “art will always be a form of resistance” when those in power try to silence calls for liberation.

The tour follows the fallout between Macklemore and Sheeran’s camp. Macklemore said he was dropped from the U.S. dates over pro-Palestine comments he made onstage. He has also claimed that Robert Kraft, the CEO of Kraft Group, which owns Gillette Stadium, called Sheeran personally to say Macklemore would not be allowed to perform there. Kraft has since confirmed he barred Macklemore from the stadium, citing what he described as antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Macklemore’s claim that Kraft pressured other venues has not been independently confirmed.

Sheeran has said he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war. He attributed the decision to the promoter, calling it “the promoter’s decision”. The tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, has said venues would not host concerts with Macklemore on the lineup. At Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran later said he was “so sorry” for disappointing fans. He also called what is happening in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

Macklemore sees the episode as bigger than his own tour. He said there has been a “collective awakening” around Palestinian liberation over the last three years, and argued that “the billionaire class” should not decide which voices are allowed on stage.

Sheeran’s other opening acts have withdrawn, and protesters gathered outside his first show without Macklemore. According to Ticketdata, a site that tracks resale prices, resale prices for upcoming Sheeran shows have dropped sharply. Some are now below face value. The Independent reported that a single ticket for the October 3 Atlanta show was listed at $19.49 with fees on Ticketmaster. Hundreds of tickets were still available at the time of writing.

The Independent notes that many Loop tour dates had not sold out even before the controversy. Some stadium shows still had hundreds of tickets left. So the price slide may not trace back to a single cause. The Independent has contacted representatives for Sheeran and Macklemore for comment.