Macklemore has drawn criticism after using his opening slot on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to call for "Free Palestine", prompting the Israeli-American Council to launch a petition demanding his removal from the remaining dates. The row centres on whether a support act should use a major arena platform to make political statements, with the petition arguing the concert was "not a political rally" and asking tour organisers to clarify whether the display was approved in advance.

At Friday night's show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the rapper wore a keffiyeh and performed his 2024 protest song "Hind's Hall", accompanied by footage from Gaza, in front of an audience of around 80,000 people. He told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had "not been forgotten", invoking his young daughter while speaking of every child's right to safety, and also voiced support for Cuba, the Congo, Sudan and Iran, and criticised the US immigration enforcement agency ICE. The petition calls on Sheeran's team to set clear boundaries on political messaging during the tour, though it is not clear how many people have signed it or whether organisers plan to respond.