Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The rapper was removed from the support lineup after yelling“free Palestine”during a recent onstage performance, according to Rolling Stone, which first reported the news Monday.
The tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, said several venues on the upcoming U.S. run told them they would not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the bill. In a statement, the promoter explained that keeping him on the lineup would have meant canceling the entire tour and impacting hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, the decision was made to move forward without him.
The story touches on something a lot of people are wrestling with right now: what happens when an artist’s onstage words collide with a venue’s bottom line, and who ends up paying the price. In this case, the promoter says the answer was going to be the fans.
What do you think? Should a performer’s onstage comments have that kind of consequence, or should the show go on regardless? Sound off in the comments.
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Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
