Macklemore Exposes Patriots Owner Robert Kraft For Kicking Him Off Ed Sheeran’s Tour Over “Palestine” Comments
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Macklemore joined Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour earlier this month as an opening act for its U.S. leg. His run on the tour barely lasted two shows before controversy overtook the headlines.
During his September 4th performance at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore told the crowd he wanted to use the platform to say “Free Palestine.”
He then performed his 2024 protest song Hind’s Hall while images from Gaza played on the stadium screens. Singer Pink, also on the bill, later reshared a post calling for his removal. The Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding the same.
By Monday, tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed Macklemore would not perform any remaining dates.
Macklemore Names Robert Kraft As A Central Figure
Macklemore offered his own account of what led to the decision in a lengthy Instagram post. He wrote that Sheeran told him New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had personally called to say he would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium. The Kraft Group, of course, owns the venue.
Macklemore further claimed Kraft rallied other stadium owners into a collective ultimatum against Sheeran’s team.
“Ed was in a f***ed up position,” Macklemore wrote. “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before.” He said Sheeran told him the words “Free Palestine” and the Palestinian flag had been described as hurtful by people Sheeran had spoken with.
Macklemore said he pushed back directly.
“I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”
The Official Statement Offered Fewer Specifics
Messina Touring Group’s public statement did not name Kraft or any specific individual, saying only that unnamed venues had notified the tour they would not host a show with Macklemore on the bill. Representatives for Kraft, Sheeran, and the venues in question have not publicly confirmed or disputed Macklemore’s account.
Two of the venues reportedly involved, Gillette Stadium and Bank of America Stadium, are privately owned, while the remaining stops on Sheeran’s tour operate under public or municipal ownership.
Macklemore was set to appear at eight of Sheeran’s ten remaining U.S. dates before his removal, with the tour scheduled to resume September 19th in Philadelphia.
