Macklemore Says Nine Arenas Rejected Palestine Benefit Shows

Macklemore said on November 6 that nine major U.S. arenas had turned down his team’s requests to host shows on his Free Palestine benefit tour. The venues he named include Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Kia Forum, Intuit Dome and Crypto.com Arena, as well as arenas in New Jersey, New York state, San Francisco and Seattle.

The rapper said his team had received available dates through the end of 2026 in September. He alleged the venues withdrew those dates after learning the shows would benefit Palestine. Representatives for the arenas had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

Macklemore said the U.S. tour was planned from the beginning, but that the rejections had made booking difficult. He described the experience as unprecedented in more than two decades of touring and raised concerns about artists’ freedom to express political views.

The benefit tour followed Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour after criticism of Macklemore’s remarks about Palestine during a September performance in New Jersey. Sheeran said the decision was made by the concert promoter and venues. Robert Kraft defended the removal, citing Macklemore’s recent actions and what he called a longstanding pattern of antisemitic language and imagery.

Macklemore had recently completed three sold-out European arena shows in Dublin, Paris and London. He said he was still exploring ways to stage the U.S. shows, including outdoors, and suggested his team might build its own stages.

Arena Rejections Put Palestine Speech and Artistic Freedom in Focus

Macklemore says nine major U.S. arenas withdrew available dates for his Free Palestine benefit shows once they learned the events’ purpose. On November 6, he said the venues had offered dates through the end of 2026 before turning the shows away. Their representatives had not immediately responded to requests for comment.

The episode follows Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour after criticism of his Palestine remarks at a September show in New Jersey. Sheeran said the decision came from the promoter and venues, while Robert Kraft defended the removal by citing what he described as antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. That explanation does not resolve the central concern: artists should not lose access to stages simply for supporting Palestinians.

Macklemore said the experience was unlike anything he had encountered in more than 20 years of touring and warned that a small number of powerful people could determine which causes are allowed a platform. The venues he named include Madison Square Garden, Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena.

His benefit tour has already played sold-out arena dates in Dublin, Paris and London. Macklemore says he is still looking for a way to bring the shows to the United States, including by staging them outdoors or building stages himself. His account puts the spotlight on the costs of political pressure on artists and on the public’s ability to hear views that arena operators may prefer to exclude.

Macklemore’s Venue Claims Leave Key Dispute Unanswered

Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas declined to host his Free Palestine benefit shows after learning their purpose. He said on November 6 that dates available through the end of 2026 were withdrawn. Arena representatives had not immediately responded to requests for comment, so the venues’ reasons are not established in the available accounts.

The arena dispute comes after Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour following his Palestine remarks at a September show in New Jersey. Sheeran said the promoter and venues made that decision. Robert Kraft defended Macklemore’s removal, pointing to what he called a longstanding pattern of antisemitic language and imagery that he said had hurt the Jewish community. That is a serious concern, not simply a matter of whether an artist has a political message.

Macklemore has characterized the arena decisions as an effort to suppress his views and says he is considering outdoor shows or building stages to bring the tour to the United States. He has named Madison Square Garden, Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena among the nine venues.

The benefit tour has already held sold-out arena shows in Dublin, Paris and London. Macklemore’s account frames the U.S. booking difficulty as a threat to free expression, while the earlier dispute shows that venues and promoters may also weigh the impact of an artist’s statements. The unanswered requests for comment leave the arena decisions’ explanations unconfirmed.