Macklemore says Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena turned down 'Free Palestine' tour
Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after 'Free Palestine' remarks
Macklemore is being dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour over pro-Palestine remarks he made on stage.
SEATTLE - Grammy-winning rapper and Seattle native Macklemore says major arenas across the country have turned down his "Free Palestine" benefit concerts, including hometown venue Climate Pledge Arena.
The Seattle venue is among nine locations that allegedly rejected the tour.
On Friday in a detailed Instagram post, the musician, born Ben Haggerty, claimed venue managers abruptly withdrew previously available dates once they learned the proposed performances were organized to benefit Palestinian humanitarian causes.
Macklemore says arenas rejected tour
What they're saying:
According to Macklemore, organizers had initially received calendar availability running through late fall from nine prominent indoor arenas across the country:
- Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle
- Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, and UBS Arena in the New York metropolitan area
- Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
- Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, and Crypto.com Arena in the Los Angeles area
- Chase Center in San Francisco
The rapper said preliminary communications shifted once venue administrators became aware of the nature and messaging of the benefit shows.
"In over twenty years of touring, I've never experienced anything like this," Macklemore said, asserting that conversations with individual booking representatives resulted in identical decisions to prohibit the shows from taking place.
The backstory:
In September, Macklemore was dropped from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s "Loop" tour following backlash over pro-Palestine remarks the rapper made during a recent opening performance.
The rapper then announced a "Free Palestine" tour for the following month.
In his Instagram post, Macklemore reflected on three sold-out European arena shows in Dublin, Paris, and London, celebrating a lineup of more than 40 collaborating artists, speakers, and performers.
DUBLIN, IRELAND - JUNE 04: Macklemore performs at St Anne's Park on June 04, 2025 in Dublin, Dublin. (Photo by Kieran Frost/Redferns)
The refusal by Climate Pledge Arena carries particular weight in the Pacific Northwest. Macklemore has maintained deep cultural, civic, and commercial ties to Seattle throughout his career, often serving as a visible fixture at city events and a high-profile booster of local athletics.
Climate Pledge Arena, located at Seattle Center and operated by Oak View Group, serves as the home ice for the NHL's Seattle Kraken and the WNBA's Seattle Storm. Haggerty previously joined the Kraken and Storm minority ownership groups in 2022.
The other side:
FOX 13 Seattle reached out to Climate Pledge Arena for comment and is awaiting a response.
The Source: Information in this story came from a multi-slide public statement released by Macklemore on Instagram and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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