At a Glance

• Rapper Macklemore says nine major US venues declined to host his Free Palestine benefit tour.

• He alleges that venues withdrew previously offered dates after learning the shows would raise funds for Palestinians.

• The tour's proceeds are intended to support humanitarian organizations assisting Palestinians.

• Madison Square Garden's operator cited limited availability and said Macklemore was not an arena-level act.

American rapper Macklemore says nine major venues across the United States have turned down his proposed Free Palestine benefit tour, alleging that previously available dates were withdrawn after organizers disclosed the events' purpose.

Key Statements and Focus Areas

Macklemore's Claims

In a post on Instagram, Macklemore said his team had spent weeks contacting major American arenas to arrange performances.

“Once they found out these were benefit shows for Palestine, these dates were suddenly off the table.”

He said nine venues had rejected the proposed shows, despite his team's earlier discussions about available dates.

Venues Named by Macklemore

The rapper identified the following venues:

• Madison Square Garden — New York City

• Prudential Center — Newark, New Jersey

• Barclays Center — Brooklyn, New York

• UBS Arena — Elmont, New York

• Intuit Dome — Inglewood, California

• Kia Forum — Inglewood, California

• Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California

• Chase Center — San Francisco, California

• Climate Pledge Arena — Seattle, Washington

Madison Square Garden's Response

MSG Entertainment, which operates Madison Square Garden, told Variety that the venue had extremely limited availability and described Macklemore as not being an arena-level act.

The other venue operators had not immediately responded to requests for comment, according to the report.

Background: Free Palestine Tour

Macklemore announced the benefit tour in September after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following pro-Palestinian remarks during an opening performance.

The tour's European dates included performances at Dublin's 3Arena, Paris's Accor Arena and London's OVO Arena Wembley. Those shows reportedly sold out.

Macklemore's allegations have brought renewed attention to the challenges surrounding his planned US benefit performances for Palestinians.

The rapper said his team had spent several weeks approaching major American venues and initially received information about available dates. However, he claims that nine arenas subsequently declined to host the concerts after learning that they would be fundraising events for Palestine.

The venues he named include some of the country's major entertainment arenas, spanning New York, New Jersey, California and Washington state.

MSG Entertainment offered a different explanation for its decision, telling Variety that Madison Square Garden had extremely limited availability and that Macklemore was not an arena-level act. The company did not directly address his allegation that the benefit's political purpose influenced the decision.

The remaining venue operators had not publicly responded to the reported requests for comment at the time of publication.

The proposed US concerts follow Macklemore's announcement of a Free Palestine Tour in September. The initiative came after he was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour following remarks supporting Palestinians during his opening set.

The European leg of the benefit tour included sold-out performances in Dublin, Paris and London, with proceeds intended to support humanitarian organizations providing assistance to Palestinians.

FYI

The dispute highlights the intersection of political expression, fundraising and the commercial decisions of major entertainment venues. Macklemore's claims have not been independently established, while the response from Madison Square Garden's operator points to scheduling and commercial considerations. The episode also comes amid wider debate in the US entertainment industry over artists' public positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the professional consequences of political advocacy.

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