The People Who Make the Show

Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour forced everyone involved in the production to consider where they stood on the ongoing genocide in Palestine.

Venue owners refused to host shows with Macklemore on the tour. Sheeran chose to continue the tour without him. Four other artists withdrew, including some of Sheeran’s longtime collaborators. Ticket holders ended up getting something very different than what they paid for.

I love when what seems like a terrible thing happening creates an opportunity for something special.

On September 24, Macklemore announced Free Palestine, a series of benefit concerts beginning in Europe with shows at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, Paris’s Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30. Additional artists and U.S. dates are still being assembled. All proceeds from the concerts will support twelve organizations working across humanitarian aid, medical care, education, advocacy, organizing and media related to Palestinians.

It’s a wonderful sequence of events.

Macklemore joins the Loop Tour in part to raise awareness and support for Palestine. He openly used Sheeran’s stadium audience to speak about Palestinians and to play his protest song. Venue owners were so offended by Macklemore’s remarks they decided it was either him or us. Macklemore did not mollify or modify. The tour continued. Macklemore left, explained what happened while maintaining focus on the war in Palestine and set out to make a bigger impact.