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Macklemore opens Dublin tour after Sheeran promoters drop him

After Ed Sheeran’s tour promoters removed Macklemore following his onstage pro-Palestinian remarks, Macklemore opened his Free Palestine Tour in Dublin. Promoters said the first show had sold out, and Sheeran said promoters—not he—made the removal decision.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 5 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 2 of 5 outletsHow it's made

View timeline · 6 entries
5 outlets3 regionsLatest reporting 2 min read
Coverage: MixedL 2 · C 2 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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Photo: Number 10 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

What happened

Key facts

  • The Dublin concert followed Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour after Macklemore made pro-Palestinian remarks onstage (per hollywoodreporter.com, CNA).
  • Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine!” and told Palestinians they were “not forgotten.” (per CNA, hollywoodreporter.com).
  • Ed Sheeran said tour promoters, rather than he, decided to remove Macklemore (per CNA, hollywoodreporter.com, newscord.org).
  • Promoters said the Dublin show was sold out (per hollywoodreporter.com, CNA).
  • The tour was scheduled to continue at Paris’ Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30 (per hollywoodreporter.com).

The brief

Macklemore opened his Free Palestine Tour in Dublin after Ed Sheeran’s tour promoters removed him following his onstage pro-Palestinian remarks. The first show took place on October 26, and promoters said it had sold out. The removal followed Macklemore’s appearance as a supporting act on Sheeran’s tour.

CNA reported that he shouted “Free Palestine!” and told Palestinians they were “not forgotten.” The Hollywood Reporter described the remarks as his “free Palestine” message during an opening set. Both accounts connect the removal to his public comments, rather than describing a separate dispute.

Sheeran said tour promoters made the decision to remove Macklemore, not him, according to CNA. The distinction places responsibility for the booking decision with the promoters, while the reports identify Macklemore’s remarks as the event preceding his removal. The sources do not name the promoters or provide their explanation for the decision.

The Dublin bill included Hozier, Kneecap, DJ Habibeats, Lina Makoul, M1 of Dead Prez and Boega. The Hollywood Reporter said Boega had withdrawn from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore and was also on the Dublin bill. Its report described the concert as the first of three sold-out shows; CNA specifically said promoters reported that the Dublin performance had sold out.

CNA quoted concertgoers who backed Macklemore’s stance and objected to his removal. Michael Keating said Macklemore had put himself on the line, while Grainne Healy said Sheeran should have supported what Macklemore was doing. Freya Dorrity said Macklemore’s comments about Palestine had increased her appreciation of him.

These are the views of the named attendees, not a general measure of audience opinion. The tour schedule listed Paris’ Accor Arena for October 29, followed by London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30. The Hollywood Reporter reported those upcoming performances and said the Dublin show began a three-concert run.

The accounts provide no further details about the promoters’ decision or any response from them.

Why it matters

  • Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour affected his role as a supporting act; the promoters’ booking decision is the specific mechanism documented.
  • The Dublin concert was reported sold out by promoters, placing attendance at the center of the new tour’s opening show.
  • Boega withdrew from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore and then appeared on the Dublin bill, linking the earlier booking dispute to the concert lineup.
  • Named attendees Michael Keating, Grainne Healy and Freya Dorrity voiced support for Macklemore or criticism of his removal, showing that the dispute was a point of concern for some concertgoers.

What to watch next

  • Whether Macklemore’s scheduled Paris performance at Accor Arena takes place on October 29.
  • Whether Macklemore’s scheduled London performance at OVO Arena Wembley takes place on October 30.
  • Whether Sheeran’s tour promoters provide an explanation for removing Macklemore.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
5 source articles · 5 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Mixed· 2 Left · 2 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 40% · Middle East 20% · Other 40%
Outlet political mix
Mixed
Left
Center
Right
2 outlets
2 outlets
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
5 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
How we measure coverage

How outlets' accounts compare

2 framing differences · 4 uncorroborated claims · 2 information gaps
The reports repeat the same account with different emphasis; its central claims are not independently confirmed in the reporting Updat3 read.Compared across 2 reports whose article text Updat3 read; 3 other outlets were checked by headline only.
Framing / emphasis differences
Sources emphasise different angles, actors or consequences of the same reporting.
  • CNA emphasizes Sheeran’s statement that promoters, not he, decided to remove Macklemore; The Hollywood Reporter focuses on the removal and the Dublin concert lineup.
  • CNA foregrounds the views of named concertgoers, while The Hollywood Reporter emphasizes the sold-out three-show schedule and performers on the bill.
Updat3: These are differences of emphasis, not disputes about what is reported. They do not show that the reported claims are true.
One-sided or uncorroborated claims
Claims that come from one party or one source family and are not independently corroborated.
  • CNA attributes the removal decision to tour promoters, citing Sheeran’s statement; both CNA and The Hollywood Reporter connect the removal to Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian remarks.
  • CNA reports Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine!” and told Palestinians they were “not forgotten.”
  • Sheeran said promoters made the decision to remove Macklemore, according to CNA.
  • CNA quotes concertgoers Michael Keating and Grainne Healy criticizing the removal or Sheeran’s position.
Updat3: Not independently corroborated yet — treat as a claim, not an established fact.
Not established by the reporting
Information the available reporting does not contain or confirm. This is a gap, not a disagreement.
  • The sources do not describe the promoters’ reasoning, the terms of Macklemore’s removal, or any financial consequences for the performers.
  • The promoters’ identity and their explanation for removing Macklemore are not specified.
Updat3: Updat3 cannot conclude anything about this from the current sources.

Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. The mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 war became known as the Nakba.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 194, which addressed the return of Palestinian refugees.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. UNRWA was established by a United Nations General Assembly resolution on December 8, 1949, to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees.
    Background · from our historical context
  4. Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip during the Six-Day War.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Protesters at Columbia University renamed Hamilton Hall “Hind’s Hall” during campus demonstrations.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. The episode followed Macklemore’s May 2024 release of “Hind’s Hall,” a song supporting pro-Palestinian campus protesters, with proceeds pledged to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

Before the Dublin date, Macklemore had been removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after shouting “Free Palestine!” onstage and telling Palestinians they were “not forgotten”; Sheeran said promoters, not he, made the decision.

The episode followed Macklemore’s May 2024 release of “Hind’s Hall,” a song supporting pro-Palestinian campus protesters, with proceeds pledged to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The song drew on a longer history: the 1948 displacement of Palestinians, known as the Nakba, and Israel’s capture of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 war.

Original sources

1 of 5 articles · Middle East · Show all

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