Nine Major US Arenas Refused to Host Palestine Tour Fundraising Shows: Macklemore
New York: American rapper Macklemore has revealed that nine major US arenas rejected his plans to hold concerts in support of Palestine. He accused the venues’ management of halting the events once they learned the concerts were part of his “Free Palestine” benefit tour.In a detailed Instagram statement on Friday, the Grammy-winning artist said he…
New York: American rapper Macklemore has revealed that nine major US arenas rejected his plans to hold concerts in support of Palestine. He accused the venues’ management of halting the events once they learned the concerts were part of his “Free Palestine” benefit tour.
In a detailed Instagram statement on Friday, the Grammy-winning artist said he wanted to bring the tour to the US after successful shows in Dublin, Paris and London. He wrote that after weeks of outreach, nine major US arenas had turned his team down. The venues he named include Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena.
According to Macklemore, his team had been offered available dates at these venues through the end of the year as of mid-September, but all offers vanished as soon as organizers learned the proceeds would go to the Palestinian people.
He said that in more than two decades of touring he had never faced such a situation. He accused powerful figures in the entertainment industry of trying to silence artists who support Palestinians, saying commercial interests were being put ahead of freedom of expression. He questioned why wealthy individuals should have the right to decide which causes artists can support, and condemned the intimidation of pro-Palestinian voices.
Macklemore praised the European leg of the tour, saying three sold-out shows brought together tens of thousands of people and more than 40 artists and speakers backing Palestinian rights. He pledged to continue the benefit concerts, likely outside the US, saying his commitment to raising funds and standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people remains firm and that “we’ll build our own stages.”
