Macklemore Starts Three-City Benefit Run in Dublin

Macklemore began his Free Palestine Tour on Monday night at Dublin's 3Arena. The sold-out benefit concert marked the start of a three-city series that continues in Paris and London. The event took place weeks after the rapper was removed from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour.

Organizers kept the lineup secret until the night of the show. The bill included Hozier, the Irish group Kneecap, DJ Habibeats, Lina Makoul, and rapper M1 of Dead Prez. Boega, the backing band that left Sheeran's tour in solidarity with Macklemore, also performed.

Special guests on stage included Irish actor Liam Cunningham, psychotherapist Nadia Greenspan, and artist Samir Eskanda. Cunningham told the audience that enjoying the night meant celebrating the humanity Palestinians have worked to protect. "Enjoying tonight does not mean forgetting about the suffering in Gaza," Cunningham said.

All proceeds from the concerts will go to organizations supporting Palestine. A press release stated that the funds will cover medical supplies, food, and humanitarian aid. The release also noted that the money will support education, community programs, and advocacy for policy change in countries identified as complicit.

The tour follows Macklemore's dismissal from Sheeran's project last month. Messina Touring Group, the promoter for Sheeran's U.S. dates, said venues threatened to cancel shows if Macklemore remained on the lineup. The group stated that the decision was made to avoid canceling the tour and impacting hundreds of thousands of fans.

The remaining shows in the benefit series are scheduled for October 29 at Paris' Accor Arena and October 30 at London's OVO Arena Wembley. Both venues have sold out. Macklemore announced the tour on Instagram, writing that being apolitical during a genocide no longer works. He urged artists to use their stages for more than entertainment and to push back when calls for a free Palestine are silenced.

Sheeran addressed the split on stage during his own tour. The singer said he did not want to disappoint fans but acknowledged the controversy placed him in the middle of a debate on freedom of speech. Sheeran added that he was deeply worried about venues pre-approving performance content, a practice he said should never happen in the free world.