Macklemore announces new solidarity tour after Ed Sheeran fallout
Macklemore launches his own tour just days after being removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop shows
Rapper Macklemore is launching a new solidarity tour just days after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour earlier this month.
"So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit," Macklemore joked while announcing the tour on Thursday. The artist, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said proceeds from the tour will go toward humanitarian aid organisations, with the run kicking off in Dublin next month.
Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's tour previously prompted several opening acts to exit in solidarity,including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and the band Beoga.
In a statement Thursday, Macklemore said recent events revealed a broader shift in public awareness.
"What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage," he said, adding that the public should take notice when powerful figures get to decide which voices are allowed a platform.
Macklemore said he spent the past week reaching out to fellow artists who have used their platforms to speak out despite potential backlash. He acknowledged that many tour details are still being finalised given how quickly plans came together, but said the moment called for action.
The new tour will begin October 26 in Dublin, followed by stops in Paris and London later that month. Additional US dates are expected to be announced, with tickets going on sale next week.
The controversy began during a September concert in New Jersey, where Macklemore made political remarks from the stage before performing a song dedicated to student protesters at Columbia University.
Following his removal from the tour, Macklemore accused stadium owners of coordinating to push him out, while stadium owner Robert Kraft accused him of using offensive and inflammatory rhetoric.
