Macklemore began his Free Palestine tour with a sold-out concert in Dublin, more than a month after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour over his pro-Palestinian comments.
The Grammy-winning musician performed at the 3Arena on Monday, with Irish singer Hozier, Belfast rap trio Kneecap, and Beoga, the Irish folk band that withdrew from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
“Six weeks ago, it was two words. Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation,” Macklemore told the audience, referring to the controversy that cost him his place on the tour, reported Variety.
“Not against anybody, not divisive. Not a call for hatred. But a call to recognise our shared humanity. Free Palestine. I said, free Palestine!”
Macklemore speaks at the opening night of his ‘Free Palestine Tour’ in Dublin:
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 26, 2026
“Those two words [Free Palestine] are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean. Freedom that requires another person’s oppression… pic.twitter.com/0GLMO3OCJr
The rapper was dropped from the remaining dates of British singer-songwriter’s US Loop tour on 14 September after calling for a “Free Palestine” during two performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on 4 and 5 September.
Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft, the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium, personally called Sheeran to say he would not be allowed to perform at the venue.
Macklemore later announced the Free Palestine tour, saying he had spent the previous week contacting artists willing to show solidarity with Palestinians “regardless of the consequences”.
He added that all proceeds from the concerts would go to 12 organisations supporting Palestinians, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Gaza Soup Kitchen.
On Monday, the rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, criticised attempts to silence expressions of support for Palestinians.
“And yet, those two words are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean,” he said.
“Because freedom that requires another person’s oppression is not freedom at all.”
“Somehow, those words have become more controversial than the suffering that made them necessary. That’s why we are here tonight. That is why we are here, because throughout history, music has given people a place to resist, to come together as a collective, to share our grief, to share our stories, to move from the heart, to mobilise people with the frequency of love,” he said.
The concert was the first of three European dates, and will continue at Paris’s Accor Arena on Thursday, before ending at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Friday. Tickets for all three shows sold out immediately after going on sale, with all 13,000 tickets for the Dublin concert snapped up within minutes.
genuinely might be top three gigs ive been to 👀 hozier, kneecap, and macklemore alongside mary lambert, dj habibeat, beoga, tones and i, and a few others 🔥🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/dmq8n0rfoh
— séamussssss 🇨🇩🇮🇪 (@gunnerineirinn) October 27, 2026
Messina Touring Group, Sheeran’s longtime concert promoter, had said during the controversy venues had warned that they would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the bill, potentially putting the remaining dates at risk.
Sheeran subsequently said in a statement that he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”.
He said venues had objected to how Macklemore had delivered part of his message, “rather than on everything that was said”.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran added.
The fallout to his statement led every remaining support act on Sheeran’s US tour, as well as his backing band, to withdraw in solidarity with Macklemore.
The Dublin show began with a message from Irish actor Liam Cunningham, best known for playing Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones.
“Enjoying tonight does not mean forgetting about the suffering in Gaza,” he told the crowd, according to Rolling Stone. “It means celebrating the humanity and life that Palestinians have fought so hard to protect.”
Palestinian singer Lina Makoul performed early in the evening, followed by Beoga.
Hozier then took to the stage to perform songs including “Too Sweet”, “From Eden”, and “Work Song”, before praising Ireland’s support for Palestinians.
“I’m so proud of my country and the way they’re showing up,” Hozier said. He brought up the case of 55 students in Gaza awaiting approval of their visas to study in Ireland, arguing that the issue could be resolved through ministerial discretion.
“It’s an absolute wonder, it’s baffling how it hasn’t been solved yet,” he said.
Hozier talking with @tajmahalblues and reciting a folk song, Prayer of Shields by John Shields, at the @SweetRelief concert at @sfmasonic tonight in San Francisco, California!
🎥: @/justsharon415 on TikTok pic.twitter.com/PU2llgs6Zu
Hozier also performed “The Prayer of Shields”, an 18th-century folk song written by John Shield that advocates equality between people of different faiths. The performance included the lines: “The Jew he is me fellow man/The Muslim the same indeed, sir.”
The evening featured further appearances from Kneecap, Palestinian-American DJ and producer DJ Habibeats, and M1 of the American hip-hop group Dead Prez.
Celebrities who could not attend sent video messages, including Mark Ruffalo, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Ilana Glazer, Cynthia Nixon, and Natasha Rothwell.
Ruffalo urged the audience to continue supporting Palestinians, saying: “There will be no peace until there’s equality.”
Kneecap, meanwhile, thanked Macklemore for organising the concert, with member Móglaí Bap also cheekily thanking Sheeran for helping to organise it, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Kneecap @KNEECAPCEOL [perfect choice] taking to the stage at the Macklemore & Friends ‘Free Palestine’ tour #Dublin | via @Diarmuid_9 pic.twitter.com/IJsbGnEnSg
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) October 26, 2026
Outside the arena, concertgoers arrived wearing keffiyehs and carrying Palestinian and Irish flags. Michael Keating, a 31-year-old insurance worker who attended the show, said Macklemore had risked his career by speaking out.
“He’s risking his popularity, his future, his family’s future – everything just for peace. And it is very important,” Keating told AFP.
Macklemore’s set included his hits “Thrift Shop”, “Same Love”, “Glorious”, and “Can’t Hold Us”, as well as a new song, “Where Is Our Love?”, which he said he had written the previous week. The song addressed the conflict in Gaza alongside issues including US immigration enforcement and violence in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
As the concert ended, Macklemore reaffirmed his commitment to the cause.
“I am proud to stand here on stage in solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he told the audience. “We will continue to fight for collective liberation until our last breath.”
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