I’m not sure how Sheeran, who usually avoids controversy, thought having Macklemore was a good idea
Robert Kraft, Gillette Stadium boot Macklemore from Ed Sheeran tour over ‘Free Palestine’ rant
Macklemore is learning the hard way that concertgoers paying top dollar for stadium shows do not want a lecture on Middle Eastern geopolitics from the guy who wrote “Thrift Shop.”
Macklemore was kicked off Ed Sheeran’s U.S. stadium tour after multiple venues refused to host him following his pro-Palestinian speeches and performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The fallout escalated when New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft barred him from performing at Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran is scheduled to play Sept. 25 and 26.
The rapper opened Sheeran’s shows at MetLife on Sept. 4 and 5. Macklemore wore a keffiyeh, showed footage of destruction in Gaza, performed “Hind’s Hall” and led the crowd in “Free Palestine” chants. The song includes lyrics accusing Israel of genocide.
Macklemore said the tour gave him a massive platform to promote his political message. He also claimed Sheeran told him Robert Kraft had rallied other stadium owners against keeping him on the tour.
Do people really want political lectures in support of Islamic terrorist groups and which show hate for Jews during concerts, or just entertainment?
Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, cited the rapper’s stage behavior and what he called a “broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery.”
“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech,” Kraft shared in a statement made to ESPN.
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th shows would not be permitted.”
Kraft has said that advocating for innocent Palestinians (are there any?) while also noting what Hamas did on October 7th and not being a Jew hater are not mutually exclusive, and he’s willing to sit down with Macklemore to discuss it, but, of course, Macklemore wants nothing to do with that, he’s cool with being a Jew hater and taking the side of Muslim terrorists, like so many Leftists.
