Rapper Macklemore sparked a backlash and a public petition from the Israeli-American Council demanding his removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after shouting Free Palestine
and performing his protest song Hind’s Hall
during an opening set for an audience of more than 80,000 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
The controversy unfolded over the weekend during Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour stop at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where Macklemore performed as the supporting act. Wearing a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders, the rapper took the stage before a crowd of over 80,000 people and delivered an extended political speech before launching into his 2024 protest anthem, Hind’s Hall
, while images from Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations were projected onto the stadium’s giant screens.
The Onstage Plea and Performance at MetLife Stadium
During his opening set on Friday night, the four-time Grammy winner told the massive stadium audience that his primary motivation for joining the tour was to voice his political views. The Grammy winner told the audience that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He expanded his remarks to address other international conflicts and domestic policies, shouting out several countries and criticizing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
Macklemore, Rapper
The artist repeated his remarks during Saturday night’s performance at the venue, according to reporting by Variety. His performance of Hind’s Hall
—a song originally written in 2024 to support campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza—drew immediate reactions from concertgoers and advocacy groups alike. The song’s title references Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which student protesters temporarily renamed in honor of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in the Gaza Strip by IDF forces.
The Israeli-American Council Petition and Tour Leadership Demands
In response to the weekend performances, the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which represents more than 150,000 Israeli-Americans, launched a formal petition urging Ed Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates of the Loop Tour. The organization argued that the concert platform was inappropriate for one-sided political messaging.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
Israeli-American Council, Petition Statement
The petition further called on tour leadership to clarify whether Macklemore’s political speech, visual content, and performance of the protest song had been approved in advance. It also demanded that clear boundaries be established regarding the use of concert stages for political messaging, emphasizing that freedom of expression does not absolve performers of responsibility. Additionally, the IAC urged the public to contact concert promoter Live Nation directly to demand action.
Audience Divide and Broader Industry Context
Reactions among concert attendees and online observers were sharply divided. While some fans praised the artist for using his platform for human rights advocacy, others expressed frustration. Variety reported that some concertgoers walked out of the venue after unexpected political remarks, with critics accusing the rapper of antisemitism. Advocacy organizations such as StopAntisemitism also condemned the performance on social media, pointing to past controversies involving the artist’s stage costumes and public statements.
Macklemore has a history of high-profile activism surrounding the conflict. In November 2023, he spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, declaring that the situation constituted a genocide, and later performed at the Palestine Will Live Forever festival in Seattle. His previous political statements have occasionally impacted his tour schedule; in September 2024, he was removed from the lineup of the Neon City Festival in Las Vegas following remarks made at a Seattle festival, with organizers citing unforeseen circumstances.
As of Sunday, September 6, 2026, neither Ed Sheeran nor representatives for Macklemore had publicly responded to the petition or the ongoing controversy, leaving the status of the rapper’s remaining eight U.S. tour dates through November uncertain.
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