Photo Credit: Macklemore by Selby May / CC by 4.0
Macklemore faces a petition to be removed as Ed Sheeran’s opening act after his politically charged set divided fans and earned criticism from Pink.
Over the weekend, Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran, but his political remarks during the set have earned him a petition trying to get him removed from the show. He’s also drawn the ire of Pink, who called for a refund—earning some backlash herself in the process.
During his Friday performance in New Jersey at the MetLife Stadium, Macklemore called out “Free Palestine, free Cuba, the Congo, Sudan, and Iran,” before telling the audience he wanted people in Gaza to know they had not been forgotten. He repeated the speech during Saturday’s show as well.
Besides his politically charged remarks, the rapper also performed “Hind’s Hall,” his protest song addressing the Israel-Gaza war. Footage from the concert also showed pro-Palestinian imagery on the stadium screens.
The Israeli American Council quickly launched a petition demanding Macklemore’s removal from the remaining dates on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour in response to his remarks.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert—not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda,” the petition reads.
On social media, some concertgoers said they walked out as they hadn’t expected a “political rally,” and some accused Macklemore of antisemitism. At the same time, others supported his remarks, noting that music “has always been a vital platform for human rights advocacy, not just mindless escape.”
But among his critics was fellow musician Pink, who shared a StopAntisemitism post on her Instagram Story and expressed her disappointment over Macklemore’s anti-Israel stance and said that attendees deserved apologies and refunds.
However, while some have supported Pink’s argument, others criticized her for objecting to the rapper using his platform to express a political position. Overall, her remarks have seemingly created their own controversy, but one could still argue they certainly brought more attention to the debate.
Ed Sheeran has yet to address the controversy either way. As of Monday, the “Shape of You” singer has not announced refunds over the performances, nor has he said whether he plans to remove Macklemore from the tour. The rapper remains on the bill, at least for now.