Macklemore Says U.S. Arenas Have Turned Down The Free Palestine Tour: “They May Own The Arenas, But They Do Not Own The People Who Fill Them”

Macklemore is calling out several U.S. arenas for turning down his Free Palestine benefit tour. The artist shared an update with his U.S.-based fans after performing three benefit concerts in Dublin, Paris, and London, which he called “the most beautiful [shows] I’ve ever been a part of.” According to Macklemore’s statement on Instagram, the arenas that “have turned us down” include Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center, and Climate Pledge Arena. “By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year. But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table,” Macklemore said. “The doors were closed. The conversations were all different, but the result was the same. The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues.” Watch on Deadline Macklemore noted that over the past three years, when he was still playing nice with these organizations, his regret was “not speaking publicly when Zionists were kicking me under the table.” “At this point, I’m three years past giving two shits about maintainin any relationships, business or personal, with anyone that isn’t riding for a Free Palestine,” he said. He continued, “I’d rather lose every opportunity in this industry than spend another day protecting people who value their business relationships with Israel more than they value Palestinian human life. We live in a country that prides itself on freedom of speech. Yet we’ve reached a point where a handful of billionaires can decide which causes are acceptable, which voices are welcome and which human lives are worth defending. Today it’s Palestine. What will it be tomorrow?” Macklemore’s dates in Europe were sold out and said that more dates would be coming. “We’ll probably just take that shit outside where it belonged in the first place,” he said. “Our commitment to raising funds and standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people remains the same. There comes a point when the world changes, not because those in power give us permission, but because the people stop asking for it. We will build our own stages. They may own the arenas. But they do not own the people who fill them. And they never will.” Read Macklemore’s full statement below.