Macklemore could be at risk of losing his opening slot on Ed Sheeran’s massive U.S. stadium tour after turning his performances at MetLife Stadium into an explicit show of support for Palestinians, triggering backlash from some concertgoers and Jewish advocacy organizations while drawing praise from supporters of his message.

The 43-year-old rapper opened for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Friday, Sept. 4, and again the following night as part of Sheeran’s Loop Tour.

During his performances, Macklemore told the stadium crowd that one of the reasons he wanted to participate in the tour was to use the enormous platform to say two words that have become central to his political activism: “Free Palestine.”

“The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the audience, according to footage from the performance.

He subsequently performed “Hind’s Hall,” his 2024 protest record inspired by the pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University, as imagery connected to Gaza, the West Bank and the protest movement appeared across the stadium’s enormous video screens.

The performance has now created a controversy extending well beyond MetLife Stadium—and could put Macklemore’s remaining appearances with Sheeran in jeopardy.

Petition Calls for Macklemore to Be Removed From Tour

The Israeli American Council launched a petition Sunday calling on Sheeran and his team to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates.

The organization accused the rapper of using another artist’s concert platform to advance a one-sided political message and argued that Sheeran should not allow his tour to become a vehicle for political advocacy.

At this point, however, Macklemore has not been removed from the tour, and neither Sheeran nor the tour’s promoters have publicly announced that his remaining appearances have been canceled.

That makes the petition significant.

Macklemore is scheduled to appear at additional stadium dates across the United States, meaning Sheeran and his touring operation could soon have to decide whether to continue with the rapper as an opening act while pressure surrounding the MetLife performances grows.

The Anti-Defamation League and StopAntisemitism have also criticized Macklemore’s remarks. StopAntisemitism accused him of turning the concert into an anti-Israel political event and argued that fans who objected to the performance deserved refunds.

The reaction among concertgoers and online observers has been divided.

Some fans objected to being confronted with an extended political message at an Ed Sheeran concert, while others praised Macklemore for using one of the largest stages available to him to advocate for Palestinians. CBS New York reported both reactions from people who attended the shows.

The American Jewish Committee’s New Jersey office said it contacted the Meadowlands after receiving complaints following the first performance. According to the organization, stadium officials raised those concerns with the tour, and refunds were offered before the second show to ticket holders who no longer wanted to attend.

Macklemore Addresses Jewish Fans During Performance

Macklemore also directly addressed Jewish audience members while making his remarks.

He argued that his criticism was directed at the Israeli government and its conduct in Gaza rather than Jewish people.

“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is criticism of you,” Macklemore told the crowd, according to footage and reporting from the performances. “My message is for peace, love and for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”

The terms Macklemore used are themselves part of a deeply contested political debate.

He has accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, while Israeli officials have rejected genocide allegations and maintained that the country’s military operations are directed against Hamas rather than Palestinians as a population.

That broader dispute has increasingly spilled into entertainment, college campuses and public events since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023.

Macklemore has been among the most outspoken mainstream American musicians supporting Palestinians throughout that period.

‘Hind’s Hall’ Has Already Put Macklemore at Center of Debate

His position is not new.

Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall” in 2024 after pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University occupied Hamilton Hall and renamed it in memory of Hind Rajab, a Palestinian child killed in Gaza.

The rapper has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and criticized U.S. support for Israel, making Palestinian advocacy an increasingly visible part of his public identity. He was also among the artists who signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter calling for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian aid for civilians.

But bringing that message onto Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour places it before an audience that did not necessarily attend expecting a political demonstration.

MetLife Stadium can hold more than 80,000 people for major concerts, giving Macklemore a dramatically larger and more diverse audience than he might encounter at a political rally or his own headline performance.

Macklemore acknowledged that reach himself.

He told the audience he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten and said he believed every person deserved safety, freedom and peace.

For supporters, that willingness to use a massive commercial platform is precisely why the performance mattered.

For critics, it is precisely the problem.

Could Macklemore Be Removed From the Tour?

That is now the question hanging over his remaining dates with Sheeran.

The Israeli American Council is explicitly asking Sheeran to remove him, StopAntisemitism has amplified criticism of the performance, and the controversy has begun attracting national attention.

As of this point, there has been no announcement that Sheeran has agreed to those demands.

Macklemore remains scheduled to appear on upcoming U.S. dates.

Sheeran has also not publicly addressed whether Macklemore’s political statements crossed a line for his tour or whether they will affect the rapper’s remaining appearances.

That silence leaves the situation unresolved.

What began as an opening set at MetLife Stadium has now become a larger test for one of the biggest concert tours in the country: whether Macklemore will be allowed to continue using Sheeran’s stadium stages to deliver the same message—or whether the growing pressure surrounding his performances will ultimately cost him his place on the tour.