Macklemore says nine major U.S. arenas backed away from hosting his Free Palestine benefit tour after learning what the shows were for.
According to Billboard, the Seattle rapper said he had been offered dates through the end of the year before the concerts’ purpose became clear. He named Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center and UBS Arena in the New York area. His list also included Intuit Dome, Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, plus Chase Center in San Francisco and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The account is Macklemore’s. He did not describe a single written policy shared by all nine buildings. Instead, he said the conversations differed but reached the same result: the proposed shows would not happen at those venues. That distinction matters because the venues have separate owners and operators. Macklemore is alleging a pattern based on his team’s booking talks, not announcing a formal industrywide ban.
The setback comes after Macklemore completed the European leg of his Free Palestine Tour. The run opened in Dublin and continued through Paris before closing at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30. The shows raised money for organizations providing medical care, food, education and other support to Palestinians.