Three Arenas Sell Out for Benefit

Three arenas sold out for Macklemore’s new concert series, a direct financial and artistic response to his recent removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The first performance took place Monday night at the 3Arena in Dublin, drawing a full house for an event that organizers kept under wraps until the doors opened.

The show functioned as a benefit concert, with all proceeds going to organizations supporting Palestine. The lineup included Irish singer Hozier, Irish rap group Kneecap, Palestinian-American DJ Habibeats, singer-songwriter Lina Makoul, and Dead Prez member M1. The backing band Boega, which dropped out of Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore, also performed.

Special guest speakers included Irish actor Liam Cunningham, activist Nadia Greenspan, and artist Samir Eskanda. Cunningham addressed the audience directly, stating that enjoying the music did not mean forgetting the suffering in Gaza. He argued that the event was about celebrating the humanity and life that Palestinians have worked to protect.

This Dublin performance is the first of three scheduled dates. The tour continues at the Accor Arena in Paris on October 29. It concludes at the OVO Arena Wembley in London on October 30. Organizers confirmed that the concerts will support a range of groups providing medical supplies, food, education, and advocacy for Palestinian communities.

Macklemore’s departure from the Sheeran tour occurred last month. He had been opening for Sheeran when he began sharing messages about Palestine during his sets. Messina Touring Group, Sheeran’s promoter, announced the change by citing venue threats. The promoter stated that venues for upcoming U.S. dates threatened to cancel shows if Macklemore remained on the bill. This potential cancellation would have impacted hundreds of thousands of fans.

Sheeran addressed the split onstage during his own tour. He said he did not want to be an activist musician but felt caught in a debate about freedom of speech. He described his concerts as a safe space for everyone and said he was worried about venues pre-approving performance content. He noted that this practice should not happen in the free world.

In an Instagram post announcing his new tour, Macklemore wrote that the last few weeks showed a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation. He argued that being apolitical during a genocide no longer works in 2026. He said people are now expecting artists to use their stages for more than just entertainment and to push back when calls for a free Palestine are met with silence.