Macklemore kicked off his Free Palestine benefit concert series in Dublin on Monday night (Oct. 26), bringing out Hozier, Kneecap and a stacked bill of guests at a sold-out 3Arena.
Joining the Seattle rapper onstage were Irish folk band Beoga, singer-songwriter Lina Makoul, M1 of Dead Prez and DJ Habibeats. Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, activist and psychotherapist Nadia Greenspan and artist and organizer Samir Eskanda spoke as special guests, while Mark Ruffalo, The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer and Natasha Rothwell made remote appearances.
The three-city run is raising money for organizations that provide humanitarian relief, medical care, education and advocacy for Palestinians, according to organizers. When the series was announced in September, Live Nation named beneficiaries including Anera, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Jewish Voice for Peace and UNRWA USA.
The shows grew out of Macklemore’s abrupt exit from the North American leg of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour in September. During a stop at MetLife Stadium, he told the crowd “Free Palestine” and voiced support for people in Gaza and the West Bank. Macklemore later said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pushed for his removal, and Kraft confirmed he had barred the rapper from Gillette Stadium, citing those comments and what he called “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” Sheeran said the decision was made by his promoter, not him.
The fallout spread quickly. Several support acts quit the tour in response, among them Beoga, who had been performing with Sheeran every night before landing a spot on Monday’s Dublin bill. Macklemore has also pledged his $1 million in net earnings from the tour to Palestinian aid groups.
Dublin came just days after Macklemore played his first show since leaving the tour, a 17-song set at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Oct. 22, where he again called for a “free Palestine” and spoke about Sudan, Congo, Lebanon, Haiti and people affected by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Macklemore has topped the Billboard Hot 100 twice, both alongside Ryan Lewis in 2013 with “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us.”
The series moves to Paris’ Accor Arena on Thursday (Oct. 29) and wraps at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Friday (Oct. 30). All three dates are sold out.
