Macklemore Says Major Arenas Refusing to Host His “Free Palestine” Tour in US

Macklemore claims efforts to bring his “Free Palestine” benefit tour to the US have been thwarted by venue operators who have refused to host the shows.

via: THR

Macklemore is facing significant hurdles finding venues to house his Free Palestine Tour in the U.S., the rapper said on Friday, stating that major arenas across the country including Madison Square Garden, Crypto.com Arena and Kia Forum have all turned him down because of his political message.

In an extensive statement shared to Instagram on Friday, Macklemore said that in September, his team had been given available dates through the end of 2026 but that nine arenas — Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center, Climate Pledge Arena — all turned them down “once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine.”

“The doors were closed. The conversations were all different, but the result was the same,” Macklemore said. “The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues. In over twenty years of touring, I’ve never experienced anything like this. But this is not an isolated incident. For decades, activists, poets, writers, musicians and entertainers who have stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people have faced consequences for doing so. Many have paid a far greater price than I have.”

Reps for the arenas didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

Macklemore’s full statement is available on his Instagram post below.