# Macklemore says nine US arenas rejected his planned Palestine benefit tour

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/macklemore-says-us-arenas-wont-host-his-free-palestine-tour/
- Published: 2026-11-06T20:37:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Stereogum
- Original article: https://stereogum.com/2516796/macklemore-says-us-arenas-wont-host-his-free-palestine-tour/news/
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- Nine US arenas rejected Macklemore’s planned benefit tour.
- His Dublin, Paris and London shows sold out.
- He pledged $1 million to organisations supporting Palestinians.

## Summary

Macklemore says nine major US arenas have rejected bookings for his planned Free Palestine benefit tour, preventing it from reaching American audiences. He argues that arena owners believe they can control public sentiment, making the refusals a fresh obstacle to his campaign.

The arenas he names are Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Arena, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena. The claim follows his removal from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour, reportedly over concerns about his comments on Israel and Palestinians. Macklemore has pledged the $1 million he earned from that tour to organisations supporting Palestinians, while his three benefit shows in Dublin, Paris and London have sold out and raised money.

## Coverage

- [Stereogum: Macklemore says nine US arenas rejected his planned Palestine benefit tour](https://stereogum.com/2516796/macklemore-says-us-arenas-wont-host-his-free-palestine-tour/news/)
- [Pitchfork: Macklemore Accuses U.S. Arenas of Turning Down Free Palestine Tour](https://pitchfork.com/story/macklemore-accuses-arenas-of-turning-down-free-palestine-tour/)
- [Billboard: Macklemore Calls Out MSG, Kia Forum & More U.S. Arenas for Allegedly Refusing to Host His Free Palestine Tour](https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/macklemore-free-palestine-tour-us-venues-refuse-to-host-1236376181/)
- [Variety: Macklemore Accuses Madison Square Garden and Eight Other Arenas of Banning His ‘Free Palestine’ Tour](https://variety.com/2026/music/news/macklemores-free-palestine-tour-banned-us-arenas-1236941564/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Macklemore Says Madison Square Garden, Kia Forum Among Arenas That Declined to Host His Free Palestine Tour](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/macklemore-us-arenas-free-palestine-tour-1236749561/)
- [Rolling Stone: Macklemore Says Nine U.S. Venues Turned Down ‘Free Palestine’ Tour: ‘They Got Me F-cked Up’](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/macklemore-us-venues-free-palestine-tour-1235654083/)
- [The Guardian: Macklemore says that nine US arenas turned down his Free Palestine tour](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/nov/06/macklemore-arenas-free-palestine-tour)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.