Macklemore opens sold-out 'Free Palestine' tour in Dublin after Ed Sheeran tour removal
Photo: The GuardianRapper Macklemore launched his sold-out "Free Palestine" benefit tour on Monday night at Dublin's 3Arena, which holds 13,000 people. The concert, billed as "Macklemore and Friends," featured unannounced guests including Irish pop-folk star Hozier and Dublin rap group Kneecap, plus video messages from Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon. The show follows Ed Sheeran's removal of Macklemore as opener of his US stadium tour, which reports say followed pressure from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft over a speech Macklemore gave about Palestine at MetLife Stadium. Sheeran's other openers quit in solidarity, and the Irish folk band Beoga, which backed him for part of his show, also left. Macklemore has said he will donate the $1 million he earned as Sheeran's opener to Palestinian aid, and tour proceeds will go to organisations assisting Palestinians. He initially announced three shows and promised more.
Right-leaning sources, Fox News and the Washington Times, frame the story around the fallout from the removal. Fox News leads with producer Jack Antonoff's criticism, made in an interview with The Guardian, that Sheeran missed a chance to stand up to billionaire interests, and it reports that NFL owners reportedly threatened to bar Sheeran's stadium shows if Macklemore stayed on the bill. The Washington Times leads with the Dublin opening as Macklemore's first show since being dropped, and it does not feature the guests or Antonoff's remarks. Left-leaning sources, The Guardian and NBC News, lead with the concert itself. The Guardian's review calls the show a triumph and describes the guest list in detail, while NBC reports the sold-out kickoff from Dublin. Both sides agree on the core facts: the removal, Kraft's involvement and the sold-out Dublin show. The right emphasizes pressure on Sheeran, while the left emphasizes the performance. Alternative sources differ further: Stereogum calls the backlash against Sheeran justified, and The Free Press sent a reporter into the crowd, who found fans who justified terrorism and dismissed antisemitism.
How the sides differ Right sources stress Sheeran's yielding to billionaire pressure; left sources focus on the sold-out Dublin concert; alternative sources spotlight the crowd.
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The Guardian and NBC News lead with the sold-out Dublin concert, its guests and the performance. The Guardian's review calls it a triumph and notes Kraft's role in pressing Sheeran.
- The Free PressPaywallMy Night at Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ Tour
Stereogum calls the backlash against Sheeran justified and highlights Beoga's exit and the $1 million donation. The Free Press features a reporter's account of crowd members who justified terrorism and dismissed antisemitism.
- Washington TimesPaywallMacklemore holds first 'Free Palestine' show in Dublin following Robert Kraft, Ed Sheeran fallout
Fox News leads with Antonoff's rebuke of Sheeran for giving in to billionaire pressure and reports NFL owners' threats. The Washington Times frames the show as Macklemore's first since being dropped after the Kraft and Sheeran fallout.