Macklemore was supported by Hozier and Kneecap during his first of three Palestine benefit concerts on Monday night.
The Can’t Hold Us singer, who was dropped as an opening act on Ed Sheeran’s tour in September after making pro-Palestine comments, responded by creating the three-show Free Palestine Tour.
Macklemore, real name Ben Haggerty, kicked off his sold-out tour at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, with the help of Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap, Palestinian-American DJ and producer DJ Habibeats, Palestinian singer-songwriter Lina Makoul and rapper M-1.
The Irish folk band Beoga, who withdrew as Sheeran’s backing band in solidarity with Macklemore, also appeared on the line-up.
According to Variety, the show began with a speech by Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham followed by music from Makoul, Beoga and Hozier. Video messages from celebrities including The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and actress Ilana Glazer played on the arena’s screen during a music break.
Avengers star Mark Ruffalo also appeared in a video, saying, “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. Lots of love, have a good show. Keep fighting the good fight.”
When he took to the stage for his headlining set, Macklemore reflected on being dropped from Sheeran’s tour for saying “two words”.
“Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation,” he declared. “Not against anybody, not divisive. Not a call for hatred. But a call to recognise our shared humanity. Free Palestine. I said, free Palestine!”
“Somehow, those words have become more controversial than the suffering that made them necessary,” he continued. “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 mobilise people with the frequency of love.”
During his set, Macklemore was joined on stage by Australian singer Tones and I and his Same Love collaborator Mary Lambert. He also debuted a new song, Where Is Our Love?, about conflicts around the world, including Congo and Sudan.
The Free Palestine Tour continues in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday. The line-ups have not been announced in advance.
All proceeds from the concerts will benefit charities supporting Palestine.
