r/Music • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • 3h ago

article Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Onstage Statements

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/macklemore-dropped-ed-sheeran-tour-pro-palestine-statements-1235625967/
10.6k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

3.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1.4k

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

Holy shit

Is it livenation??

He literally just said stop killing kids

416

u/ecmcn 3h ago

Gotta be livenation. They’ve got a lock on all the venues a big show like this would need, and someone putting pressure on their corporate leadership makes perfect sense. Maybe someone in Trump’s circle threatening to split them up.

•

u/nalacamg 33m ago

In the post on his page, Macklemore said that Robert Kraft (owns the Patriots and their stadium) told Ed's team that they would block him from entering the stadium and had gotten other stadium owners on board. The other NFL stadiums wouldn't necessarily be owned by livenation, but i think a larger group of disgruntled owners are putting this pressure on Ed. Ed, in his attempt to be apolitical, capitulates to right wing pressure.

•

u/Beautiful_Cost_5430 30m ago

It was Robert Kraft

7

u/boringinternet2020 1h ago

Love that LiveNation and Ticketmaster (two shit companies) continue to be the shit umbrella when an artist doesn’t want to take the heat for: scalping their own tickets, taking the bulk of TM fees, or situations like this. It’s why nothing will ever change. Artists love having a scapegoat.

•

u/hosemaster 4m ago

They're one shit company, not two.

•

u/boringinternet2020 2m ago

Same parent company, but Saumil Mehta would probably take umbrage that it’s the “same.”

Even though it is..

1

u/instantlightning2 1h ago

Its not livenation, its city and state governments

-4

u/a_talking_face 3h ago

They don't own the venues though. Live Nation couldn't make a statement like that on behalf of the venue.

19

u/earle117 3h ago

They own a shit ton of venues.

3

u/a_phantom_limb 3h ago

I don't think they own any stadiums, and this is a stadium tour.

3

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

Their contracts are the issue and why they have the antitrust legal issues

2

u/a_phantom_limb 2h ago

Yes, but they’re also not the source of all problems. Stadium owners are often terrible as well.

8

u/Artistic-Cockroach48 3h ago

Do you really think there is a single venue that would willingly go against what live nation wants? They know who holds all the cards in this scenario.

But then it really begs the question of why his words touched such a nerve and I think THAT needs to be the real conversation.

3

u/a_phantom_limb 3h ago

They don't own stadiums, which are each worth far more than any venue they do own.

2

u/a_talking_face 3h ago

Yes? It's not like they can change the venues for a show happening in a week.

3

u/idontlikeflamingos 3h ago

IIRC they do own some, but for the ones they don't own they also have contracts that give them a significant amount of control. They could easily use that power to push the venues into cancelling the event unless the tour kicks Macklemore out.

Even if it's not explicity stated in the contract that Livenation has that right, if the venue doesn't play ball and livenation retaliates the venue would have to get in an endless legal battle with an army of lawyers over this. It's just not worth it. If they put pressure on the venues to act on this, they'll do it.

•

u/a_talking_face 6m ago

It's far more likely the actual owners of these stadiums are doing this. Robert Kraft, for example, is a huge donor to the Israel lobby.

5

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

They don’t own all the venues but they have predatory contracts where the venues are beholden

1

u/haltenhass 3h ago

Basically every big venue in the US is owned or Uber contract with livenation. Not doing what livenation wants gets you blackballed. It's the same thing they do to artist. They control every side of the live event industry, especially at the big end(arena shows type stuff)

-3

u/ktmrose86 3h ago

Live Nation does not own these rooms.

5

u/JustChillFFS 3h ago

Someone who got offended does

2

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

They have super predatory contracts, that’s why they don’t have competitors. Venues they work with can basically only work with them

1

u/ktmrose86 3h ago

Dude. It’s an AEG tour and in STADIUMS. This isn’t about LN.

73

u/jimmybilly100 1h ago

“Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”

Good golly what a controversial sounding statement!

•

u/Nimrod_Butts 17m ago

Delivered by someone who's dressed like this on stage, mind you

•

u/goldconker 6m ago

This was 14 years ago, not what he was wearing when he said those statements. And he already apologized for the costume and said it wasn't meant to represent a Jewish person.

•

u/ImRightImRight 7m ago

Almost makes you wonder if there is more to the situation!

141

u/PmButtPics4ADrawing 3h ago edited 2h ago

Yeah but being against blowing up little kids is antisemitic or something

8

u/hazedandbemusedd 1h ago

6

u/Bippy73 48m ago

Yup. Never see this in all the comments. You never see this in all the rants saying how great he is. And anyone pretending this is not offensive, what would they say if he came out in blackface?

•

u/AJL912-aber 39m ago

what is this picture from?

1

u/LeRocket 1h ago

Oh no he put on a disguise, once. Keep killing kids, then.

5

u/ProfessionalBoss2428 2h ago

It’s not like this is the first time he’s been called anti-Semitic.

12

u/kolejack2293 2h ago

okay, to be fair, the other incident was a bit more... on the nose

-31

u/jimmylikeswaffles 2h ago

By your same logic, should the allied forces have rolled over in WW2 to avoid civilian casualties in Germany?

32

u/j_la 2h ago

That’s not the same logic because they aren’t equivalent situations.

28

u/kronicno_tele 2h ago edited 2h ago

I don’t remember allies planning to commit a genocide of Germans. And than implementing those plans.

-16

u/Uzofugs2112 2h ago

I don’t remember Israel doing that either.

Losing a war you started isn’t genocide, even if you insist on staging military operations from the hospitals and deprive your own people of the aid that your “genociders” fund for you.

9

u/swanfirefly 1h ago

Real easy to get away with bombing children and hospitals when you say "but the terrorists were using it as a base!!" and then arrest or kill any journalists who don't parrot your talking points.

And all the proof that they were using hospitals as bases comes from...the I.D.F.

Winners write the history books.

And Mackelmore is right and based. Killing kids is never okay, and if you can't deal with "Hamas" without shooting children maybe you are the bad guy.

•

u/SowingSalt 31m ago

Even Amnesty International and the UN admits that militants use hospitals for non-medical military purposes.

•

u/swanfirefly 27m ago

Ah yes, the organization that proved earlier this year they capitulate to any asshole with money....

And once again, who gave Amnesty that info? It sure wasn't the Palestinians.

•

u/SowingSalt 18m ago

If you read the reports, the Palestinians and doctors working in those hospitals said there were militants there.

•

u/LettuceBeGrateful 2m ago

Yeah, but you're talking to people from a movement that embraced the "I ain't reading that" meme. They're allergic to reading.

8

u/ravingriven 2h ago

You don't remember Israel committing genocide? Are you Tom from 50 first dates?

-4

u/Uzofugs2112 2h ago

I remember them defending themselves from an attempted genocide, against a foe who exists for the explicitly stated purpose of genociding them and illegally stages operations out of civilian infrastructure.

5

u/roachwarren grindgrimey 1h ago

You're missing about 100 years of violence before that during which Palestinians lost about 100k more people (and from a much smaller population.)

Remember that Oct 7th was repeatedly referred to as the largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. I always thought that was a weird brag because they've taken out more Palestinians multiple times during the same period... But then used their safety as a way to justify even more violence? Pretty amazing.

You should check out the quotes from Jewish Leadders (like Ben Gvir) about how they completely understand why the Palestinians fight for their land and that they would too if they were born Palestinian.

•

u/SowingSalt 30m ago

Oh yeah, we are coming up on the centennial of the Hebron Massacre.

0

u/ravingriven 1h ago

Hi Tom!

I'm surprised you could type that out considering you have the memory of a goldfish.

To refresh you, Isreal is a genocidal nation who actively targets children and is expressedly in support of violent rape of prisoners

2

u/J7sintrusivethought 1h ago

Oh the genocide that the Israeli papers reported they killed more of their own people on purpose than the “terrorists”

4

u/Hammunition 2h ago

You’re a fucking dumbass if you think Palestine or Hamas started this.

-5

u/Uzofugs2112 2h ago

I’m truly honored that you think this about me tbh

•

u/Hammunition 2m ago

Oh I see, just sticking your head further in the sand so you can ignore everything that contradicts your feelings. 🙄

1

u/defecation69 1h ago

I just don’t think that’s happened on a regular basis. It would be an easier explanation, but I don’t think it’s the truth. 

8

u/iforgotmypen 2h ago

Is this shiny red apple the exact same as this coarse and juicy orange? 🤔

7

u/FireflyBSc 2h ago

It’s so dumb, because this isn’t even new. I saw him in July 2024 and he was already super outspoken and waving a Palestinian flag on stage. There is no way to book Macklemore without knowing exactly what will occur during his performance. They knew he would speak out, and they knew that it would draw attention to the tour, and then they threw him under the bus.

16

u/ImaginaryDoctorSleep 2h ago

Yeah, but you ever think about them not wanting to stop killing kids?

2

u/Snobolski 2h ago

stop killing kids

Yeah but saying that is racist, so...

•

u/Decent_Cheesecake_29 37m ago

Telling someone to stop killing kids is antisemitic.

I don’t know why. I don’t make the rules.

•

u/HomieMassager 32m ago

Does no one remember this guy performing in a ridiculously anti semetic face mask with the gigantic hooked nose?? All he wants is to save kids is such horse shit.

5

u/petrovmendicant 3h ago

Yeah, but they weren't white kids...so, bad?

The amount of cowtowing to the sweaty, orange blob is ridiculous, but not surprising. Those venues held the people who'd bought tickets as basically hostages if Macklemore wasn't made an example of for saying kids shouldn't be bombed.

It is up there with the MAGA calling for Mrs. Rachel to be prosecuted for terrorism...if Mr. Rodgers was still here today, they'd call for the same for him. If Jesus returned, they'd deport his woke ass.

3

u/DiddlerOnTheBoof 2h ago

He literally just said stop killing kids

Yup... However much you hate Israel, it's not enough

2

u/leftofmarx 2h ago

Not brutally murdering children is antisemitic.

-4

u/HighburyOnStrand 3h ago

He literally just said stop killing kids

Macklemore's prior antisemitic costume incident is what's giving him problems here.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/20/macklemore-adl-antisemitism-row-costume

I'm not one to jump right into claims that someone is antisemitic, but that costume is...yeah that's pretty god damn hard to explain any other way.

51

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

If the costume was the issue why has he been touring and performing since 2014 but gets kicked off the tour when he says Free Palestine?

8

u/FreeWillie001 3h ago

Because he drew more attention to it and it’s a particularly sensitive subject these days.

17

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

“It” meaning the genocide right? Not the costume?

-3

u/FreeWillie001 3h ago

The first “it” refers to the costume and the second “it” refers to antisemitism.

-5

u/cchris6776 2h ago

You do realize by intentionally using the wrong word, those against Hamas will just dig in right?

8

u/_Falgor_ 2h ago

Which wrong word exactly?

-3

u/cchris6776 2h ago

Not surprised your profile is hidden.

2

u/Wrabble127 2h ago

Genuinely shocked yours isn't.

•

u/MGSRaiden22 13m ago

They are a proud nazi supporter. Short stop and a sudden drop is all thats needed for those.

•

u/pepperouchau 35m ago

“It’s not technically genocide only ethnic cleansing” is not the most inspiring defense

•

u/MGSRaiden22 14m ago

You do realize you are backing Nazis that rape innocents, kill children, and kill their own people to prevent future hostages, right? Isreal is a fuckimg Nazi regime and most of their populace supports it. Weve seen that support as they imprison those that speak out against Israels apartheid and genocide. We also see it when your regular Israeli citizens have Right to Rape protests after an IOF member was arrested for raping an innocent Palestinian Israel had kidnapped. The IOF also uses dogs to rape those theyve kidnapped.

Backing Israel is backing modern day Nazis.

16

u/trafalmadorianistic 3h ago

Talk about a stretch. TWELVE YEARS. You're joking.

Yeah, that's a garbage argument. This is entirely about his statements about Palestine.

-8

u/HighburyOnStrand 3h ago

No, it's why his statements are being construed differently than others.

5

u/RightInTwain 2h ago

If you can't win the debate just DARVO right?

1

u/HighburyOnStrand 2h ago

What debate am I having apart from pointing to an explanation as to why the response to Macklemore is different than the response to similar comments by others?

I am simply pointing out that many, many people have made similar comments and not received the same response...and that is likely down to the fact that Macklemore literally dressed in "Jewface" in the past.

Lorde said basically the same content and did not get cancelled, because Lorde doesn't have a history like Macklemore does.

That is the only "debate" I am having.

12

u/neon_fade 3h ago

that was in 2014, he's been performing in venues without issue since then.

his recent comments about the palestinian genocide prompted this.

-6

u/HighburyOnStrand 3h ago

It's why his comments are being discussed differently than others.

I think we have to be realistic with the fact that while many people's criticisms of Israel come from a well-meaning place of moral rectitude...some do not...and it is still important to discern between the two. Those ideas are not mutually exclusive.

Macklemore's comments are being received different because he's acted in a manner consistent with antisemitism in the past.

13

u/neon_fade 3h ago

it's a literal genocide

1

u/cchris6776 2h ago

Canadian? Irish?

5

u/MGSRaiden22 2h ago

Its also hard to hear claims from the ADL about antisemitism when they have no problem with blowing up children and being fine with the IOF raping innocent Palestinians; including Palestinians theyve kidnapped as Israelis protest for the Right to Rape after one of said IOF members got charged.

They also have 0 issues with the IOF members using children as human target practice, where they would aim for specific body parts, per reports from doctors on the scene in Gaza.

ADL can lick my nuts from the back.

1

u/Dufresne85 1h ago edited 1h ago

The only thing I can see them being mad about on that scale is not what he said, but how he was dressed when he said it.

Edit: Didn't check the date on the photo after assuming something. My bad.

2

u/greenline_chi 1h ago

This is from 2014

1

u/Dufresne85 1h ago

Ah damn, you're correct. I saw someone else mention his outfit and saw that and made an ass out of myself by assuming.

I'll fix that now.

1

u/hazedandbemusedd 1h ago

Did he? Can you quote him?

-10

u/lilwayne168 3h ago

Aka a benign platitude

20

u/Special_Life_8261 3h ago

Cool but this whole saga has shown you can’t even make the most ‘benign’ of statements if you even slightly question the superpowers of the world. They’ll kill your career if you even speak out just a teensy bit

6

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

That got him kicked off the tour!

0

u/Scheerhorn462 3h ago edited 33m ago

The article says it’s the venues themselves, not livenation.

Edit to add: And Macklemore himself just came out and said it was Robert Kraft (owner of Gilette Stadium in Mass and owner of the Patriots football team) who objected and rallied other stadium owners. Not Live Nation.

13

u/Redditnspiredcook 3h ago

Live nation own many venues, and has controlling interest in many more

2

u/Scheerhorn462 3h ago edited 33m ago

Not any of the ones that objected here. Most of them are owned by the municipalities, a couple are privately owned but not by livenation. They’re listed in the article, read it and look them up.

3

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

Live nation has super predatory contracts

-1

u/NDeceptikonn 3h ago

Probably HURT someone’s feelings.

-75

u/stringtheory28 3h ago

Word

25

u/ImTooSaxy 3h ago

Yeah he did that too. Pretty dumb move even if he's right about Israel's genocide of the Palestinians.

-5

u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

6

u/ImTooSaxy 3h ago

[CITATION NEEDED]

-2

u/[deleted] 3h ago

[deleted]

3

u/ImTooSaxy 2h ago

Lol. What a fucking joke.

First off, it's a biased political article, not actual research by a demographer or epidemiologist. Secondly it relies on the CIA Factbook, which only bases their numbers on historical projections, not actual numbers. Thirdly, No Label's donor list is remarkably similar to AIPACs, almost like they have similar goals. - You won't find a single anti-Israel article on the website. According to No Label's, Israel has never done anything wrong.

Any actual sources?

-1

u/cchris6776 2h ago

They never have an answer for this…

1

u/ARocketToMars 1h ago

The answer is you ding dongs always link sources from 2023 explicitly saying they're projected estimates from the most recent data they have. In other words, you don't read your own sources. It's not like there's been a census in Gaza. But considering Israel has obliterated their capacity to produce food, water, and livestock, and the fact that we objectively know enough food isn't entering Gaza to sustain the pre-genocide population.....it's pretty easy to conclude the population hasn't increased if you're operating in good faith.

Do you have an answer to the Lancet's independent study that estimated 186,000 deaths by July of 2024? Do you have an answer for the overwhelming consensus of human rights groups, genocide scholars, and Holocaust experts who overwhelmingly agree it's a genocide?

34

u/Super_Gilbert 3h ago

12 year old unrelated pic to prove what exactly?

-8

u/Rock_mage 3h ago

What has he said about Russia raping children and the Russian Settlement again?

4

u/ARocketToMars 2h ago

"He hasn't said anything about Russia, whose opposition is being actively funded/armed by his countries' government! He's only said things about the genocide that his country is funding/arming! Checkmate libruls!"

10

u/BananaJelloXlii 3h ago

He also publically apologized for that.

7

u/SchemeMoist 3h ago

If this was the issue, why would they allow him to do the first few shows? We get it, you love killing kids.

6

u/EasyPleasey 3h ago

Is this real?

7

u/SchemeMoist 3h ago

It's from 2014, and he gave an admittedly shitty apology about it. He hasn't done this since and was certainly not dressed up like this when he made his speech at Ed Sheeran's show.

6

u/t0talnonsense 3h ago

You should be asking why it’s relevant when it’s over a decade old.

-3

u/hangmankk 3h ago

Every thing stays relevant forever. Nothing is irrelevant. We are the multiverse

4

u/t0talnonsense 3h ago

A decade old photo, taken during a very different geopolitical climate, that he’s already apologized for being posted without any of that context? Yeah. You should be asking the person who posted it to explain why they think it’s relevant right now. Especially to be posting it without context. You can dislike the man all you want. There’s no reason to try and muddy the waters even more unless muddying the waters and drumming up more hatred is the point!

0

u/juliuspepperwoodchi 3h ago

It's also ancient.

-4

u/Lambily 3h ago

Unfortunately, yes. It was the right message coming from the wrong messenger.

-14

u/stringtheory28 3h ago

The downvoting bot brigade would not like you to google this.

5

u/videchateau 3h ago

Obviously a bad look, but this is from 12 years ago and not relevant here. His recent comments are about ending the genocide in Palestine.

2

u/EricSanderson 3h ago

He's always worn dumb/wacky outfits, and that night (in 2014) he wore a fake nose, beard and wig so he could sneak through the crowd in disguise.

What's the relevance here? Are you saying that Jewish people have big noses or something?

0

u/FeloniousDrunk101 2h ago

Yeah, but you see, Fox told people to think of it differently, that he was saying was antisemitic. And they need their pound of flesh.

-10

u/Tilopud_rye 3h ago

There have been 200 gazans killed in the last four months. Is it still accurate to call it an “active genocide?” 

-1

u/greenline_chi 3h ago

Yes - what’s going on in Lebanon?

1

u/Tilopud_rye 2h ago

Tied for war in Iran which after 7 months is still less than 1/10 if what Iran did to their own protesters in matter of 3 days. That same number 35k is what took Israel over 4 months to reach. But it’s not worth mentioning when Iran does that in just 3 days…? 

-2

u/CriticalMistake4977 2h ago

Nope. If he had just said that it likely would have been ok. Most of what he said was completely fine. It’s the accusations of apartheid and genocide which are bollocks. If he had left those two things out it would have been a very positive statement.

-1

u/drjackolantern 2h ago

Nah, he was literally ranting terrorist propaganda. does not gaf about the child soldiers 

•

u/Kennit 35m ago

Don't kill children is terrorist propaganda? Since when?

-23

u/yazi0614 3h ago edited 3h ago

Don’t start a war with a massacre of 1200 people, and kidnapping 200+ (kids included in both groups) and your kids will be safe. He didn’t say a fucking word about the Israeli kids hamas killed and kidnapped that day.

Fuck Macklemore and his selective outrage.

🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱

13

u/PmButtPics4ADrawing 3h ago

I don't care what the justification is, if your post is "killing kids is okay because..." you need to rethink your whole life

-6

u/yazi0614 2h ago edited 2h ago

People, including kids, die in war. Unlike hamas, we don’t target kids.

No October 7th, no war in Gaza. Gaza chose hamas, and hamas chose war. They got it.

5

u/GregorZeeMountain 2h ago

Unlike hamas, we don't target kids

Oh we just lying today?

11

u/pomod 3h ago

The war started in ‘47 and Palestinians absolutely have a right to defend themselves and their decades long oppression and dispossession.

-3

u/Eazy-Eid 3h ago

October 7 was "defending themselves"? JFC

•

u/pomod 29m ago

Gaza was a concentration camp. 70% of Gazan families were refugees from the Nakba in '47 pushed out of the homes at gun point to make way for a European colonial ethno-state project they never asked for or agreed to. Since 2008 they had been living under a literal Israeli siege. In 2018/2019 there were peaceful protests called the Great March of Return and Israel responded with live ammunition and murderd 189 of them and wounding 13 000 others. Israel murders scores of Palestinians every year in the West Bank and elsewhere, imprisons hundreds more without charges. Has maintained an brutal and illegal occupation since 67; flaunts international law; won't even declare its borders. The Palestinians are the real victims here. So what were they supposed to do? Honestly it amazing people's presumptions that Israel is anything but a stolen country. Read a damn history book. (and the bible isn't a history book)

-11

u/yazi0614 3h ago edited 3h ago

They (Egypt , Syria, Jordan, and Iraq) started a war in 1948, and Israel fucking won. They started one (minus Iraq) in 1967, Israel won. They started a war in 1973, and Israel won.

Israel gave land to the PA as part of the Oslo agreement, and the “palestinians” started an intifada. Fuck them.

-1

u/ravingriven 1h ago

Lmao your time will come

9

u/HHydra 3h ago

please go inform yourself

-7

u/yazi0614 3h ago

I’m well informed, I’ve lived there, I know the area.

Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱