Macklemore dedicated his first “Free Palestine” tour date in Dublin, Ireland to “love and liberation,” just over a month after he was dropped as an opener for Ed Sheeran following a political speech on stage.
3Arena was dotted with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags on Monday night as Dubliners young and old gathered to back the “Thrift Shop” rapper at the start of the three-show stint, which will also see him play Paris and London this week alongside special guests. All proceeds are going to charities supporting Palestine, and Macklemore also donated his $1 million salary from Sheeran’s tour to the cause.
To recap, on Sept. 14 Macklemore was dropped from the remainder of Sheeran’s U.S. “Loop” tour after he said “free Palestine” on stage and gave political speeches over two concerts at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5. The speeches went viral, sparking backlash from pop star Pink and a petition from the Israeli American Council calling for Macklemore to be removed from Sheeran’s tour. In solidarity with Macklemore, Sheeran’s other opening acts — including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe — and his backing band, Beoga, also dropped out.
Beoga was there to support Macklemore on Monday, alongside surprise guests including Hozier and Kneecap. During his set, Mackelmore took a moment to share what the evening meant to him in the wake of the controversy. “Six weeks ago, it was two words. Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation,” he said. “Not against anybody, not divisive. Not a call for hatred. But a call to recognize our shared humanity. Free Palestine. I said, free Palestine! The same thing that I want for all of us, freedom, dignity, the right to exist without fear. Being able to raise our children in the homes that we grew up in, not having to prove our humanity to the rest of the world.
“And yet,” he continued, “those two words are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean. Because freedom that requires another person’s oppression is not freedom at all. And while the world debates those words, we see the videos, we see the footage, we see parents pulling their children out of the rubble. Families erased. Devastation beyond our imagination. And somehow, those words have become more controversial than the suffering that made them necessary. That’s why we are here tonight. That is why we are here, because throughout history, music has given people a place to resist, to come together as a collective, to share our grief, to share our stories, to move from the heart, to mobilize people with the frequency of love. The heartbeat in our drum that makes us feel alive, that makes us feel connected.”
But before Macklemore took the stage, the night kicked off with an introduction from Liam Cunningham of “Game of Thrones” fame. “Tonight, we celebrate life. We honor resilience. We stand with Gaza!” he said. The music then began with Palestinian-Israeli singer Lina Makoul, who delivered a powerful song without words “because anything she said could have severely affected her freedom,” as Cunningham noted. Beoga was next, performing several traditional Irish jigs after percussionist Eamon Murray told the crowd, “Don’t fuck with the Irish!”
The first heavyweight guest was none other than Hozier, who got the crowd crooning along with “Too Sweet,” “From Eden,” and “Work Song.” The Irishman said he is “so proud of my country and the way they’re showing up,” and highlighted that 55 students in Gaza are waiting to have their visas approved by the Irish government so that they can study there. “This has happened before. It happened last year, and this can be solved with ministerial discretion,” he continued. “It’s an absolute wonder, it’s baffling how it hasn’t been solved yet.”
Seeming uncharacteristically nervous, Hozier then announced that he was going to perform a tune that he’d “never sang live before.” It was “The Prayer of Shields,” an 18th-century folk song written by John Shield that hoped for equality for all people. “The Jew he is me fellow man/ The Muslim the same indeed, sir,” he sang in a haunting tone. “To the infidel I’d wish him well/And help him in his need, sir.”
As the stage was reset, the crowd was treated to a series of video messages from celebrities who couldn’t be there but wanted to show their support. “Thanks to Macklemore for doing this,” The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas said. “Take care of each other and the innocents, and continue standing up in this struggle towards a just world system.”
Added “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer, “We are all together in this fight to help free Palestine. Keep speaking up and using your voice, it’s working.”
“Keep fighting for a free Palestine and humanity all over the world and amongst the people. There will be no peace until there’s equality,” Mark Ruffalo said to enthusiastic applause throughout the stadium. “Lots of love, have a good show. Keep fighting the good fight.”
Irish rap trio Kneecap then stormed the arena, injecting a dose of energy by getting mosh pits going in the crowd as they ran through hits like “Fenian” and “H.O.O.D.” “We wanna thank Macklemore for organizing this concert. We wanna thank Ed Sheeran for helping to organize this concert,” member Móglaí Bap cheekily said as the crowd erupted in cheers.
It was then finally time for Macklemore’s set. The rapper was greeted with enormous applause as he emerged in a green-and-orange keffiyeh to “Chant,” with Australian singer Tones and I joining him to sing the chorus. Supported by a six-piece band, Macklemore rapped with conviction: “This is my moment/ They can’t take my talent/ They can’t take my stripes.” He addressed the crowd for the first time as the song finished, looking overwhelmed and wiping tears from his eyes. Before he could begin to speak, a “free Palestine” chant broke out in the audience.
“It has been a crazy six weeks,” he said. “We took my shortest tour of all time, which was two nights at MetLife Stadium, and we turned that shit into this right here.” He added, “We’re gonna start with an anti-capitalist anthem,” as his hit “Thrift Shop” rang out and a pair of peppy dancers two-stepped on stage.
A run-down of Macklemore’s greatest hits ensued, including “Same Love” with Mary Lambert joining him; “These Days”; “Glorious”; and “Good Old Days,” with Tones and I reemerging to sing Kesha’s part on the track. He then surprised the audience with a new song that “he wrote this last week,” titled “Where Is Our Love?” In the political yet soft-spoken rap, Macklemore says “free Palestine” and speaks about “America being terrorized by ICE agents” as well as mentioning Congo and Sudan.
The set ended on a high note with his 2012 hit “Can’t Hold Us,” during which Macklemore climbed into the crowd and had them literally hold him up. As confetti exploded in the air, Macklemore left the audience with one last message: “I am proud to stand here on stage in solidarity with the Palestinian people. We will continue to fight for collective liberation until our last breath,” he said before leading one final “free Palestine” chant.
Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” tour continues in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday.
