Macklemore donates $1 million from dropped Ed Sheeran tour to Palestinian aid
Tour fallout sparks $1 million pledge and calls for broader support for Gaza
A week ago, Macklemore was preparing to spend September opening arenas for Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour. Instead, he is now donating the $1 million he earned from the dates, after being removed from the remaining shows following comments he made in support of Palestinians.
On September 14, the Seattle rapper was pulled from the remaining dates of the tour after using his onstage time to voice support for Palestinians. At a MetLife Stadium show, he said he wanted a 'free Palestine'. Within days, Macklemore was no longer part of the tour.
On September 16, Macklemore announced that he would donate the entire $1 million he earned from the Sheeran dates. The money will be divided between six organisations focused on Palestinian relief and support: the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, Heal Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee, and Anera.
"Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me," he wrote, describing the donation as small compared with the risks taken by aid workers and organisers on the ground. He also challenged Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner whose Gillette Stadium was reportedly among the venues that would not host him, to match the donation dollar for dollar.
Kraft responded to the challenge, saying Sheeran had already asked him to commit $2 million to regional humanitarian aid. That would effectively match Macklemore's donation, although Kraft did not specify which organisations would receive the money.
"I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," Kraft said, adding that he and Sheeran intend to work with other venue owners going forward.
The changes to Sheeran's tour continued after Macklemore's departure. Within a day, four replacement opening acts, Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga, announced that they would not perform the remaining dates. Several cited concerns about the role of money and venue owners in decisions around artistic expression.
Sheeran, who has said publicly that he prefers to stay out of politics, has also said the decision to remove Macklemore came from the tour's promoter rather than from him. He is still scheduled to perform in Philadelphia this weekend, without any of his original supporting acts.
Macklemore has said he wants the focus to remain on the humanitarian situation that prompted his comments rather than on his removal from the tour.
"When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don't move with it," he wrote, arguing that the controversy around his own removal shouldn't outlast the situation in Gaza that prompted his comments in the first place.
