Macklemore has been removed from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour.
Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, released a statement regarding Macklemore’s removal from the remaining dates.
“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
Macklemore has been vocal about his support for Palestine, which he believes played a role in his removal from the tour.
According to Macklemore, Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, allegedly vetoed him performing at Gillette Stadium and encouraged stadium owners to do the same.
Macklemore claims he and Sheeran discussed the situation, with the British singer telling him that Kraft was opposed to him continuing on the tour.
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Robert Kraft responded back to his claims via TMZ, “Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech.”
Going on adding that Macklemore’s comments were hurtful to the Jewish community.
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”
