Macklemore says major U.S. arenas declined his benefit shows for Palestine
The rapper claims that several high-profile venues refused to host his "Free Palestine" tour dates, while a venue spokesperson cited scheduling constraints and the artist’s market draw.
Macklemore posted on Instagram on Nov. 6 that a number of U.S. arenas, including Madison Square Garden, the Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena, declined to host his "Free Palestine" benefit concerts. He said the venues initially offered dates through the end of the year, but withdrew them after learning the shows were intended to support Palestine.
"By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year. But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table," Macklemore wrote.
He added that he had never encountered such a response in his two-decade touring career and expressed a willingness to forgo future opportunities rather than compromise on the cause.
"We live in a country that prides itself on freedom of speech. Yet we’ve reached a point where a handful of billionaires can decide which causes are acceptable, which voices are welcome and which human lives are worth defending," he wrote.
MSG Entertainment, which operates Madison Square Garden, responded to the allegations in a statement to Variety, noting the venues’ high demand and stating that Macklemore is not an "arena-level act."
"We have some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability and he’s not an arena level act," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in September, Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s "Loop" tour after making pro-Palestine remarks at a MetLife Stadium performance, prompting other opening acts and members of Sheeran’s band to quit in solidarity.