Macklemore says nine major US arenas refused to host his Free Palestine benefit tour after learning the shows would raise money for Palestinians.
The rapper made the claim in a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, November 6. He named Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena.
Macklemore said his team had received available dates at the venues by mid-September, but those dates were withdrawn once the venues learned the concerts were benefit shows for Palestine. “The doors were closed,” he wrote. “The conversations were all different, but the result was the same.”
Madison Square Garden disputed the claim. A spokesperson for MSG Entertainment said the company runs some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability, and added that Macklemore is “not an arena level act.”
The tour follows three sold-out shows in Dublin, Paris and London last month. Macklemore said all proceeds go to 12 organisations supporting Palestinians through medical care, humanitarian aid, education and advocacy. He launched the tour after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour over his public support for Palestinians.
Source: USA Today
