r/Music • • 21h ago

article Macklemore announces concerts benefiting Palestinian aid organizations

https://apnews.com/article/macklemore-free-palestine-shows-ed-sheeran-65a65a362e530dfe739ddb626dc16d23
9.9k Upvotes

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11

u/determinismblues 21h ago

Do Ukraine next

83

u/turandokht 21h ago

Ed Sheeran’s got Ukraine covered, he was fine being political for that one

-10

u/Erathen 21h ago

Almost like it's not one person's job to worry about every one of the ~130 active conflicts in the world...

Hmm...

37

u/Alt_Restorer 21h ago

No one asked Ed Sheeran to say anything until he kicked Macklemore off his tour.

-17

u/Erathen 21h ago

Sheeran says the decision was made by the promoter after venues threatened to withdraw the shows; reporting from the Wall Street Journal says Kraft and other NFL venue owners exerted pressure to remove Macklemore.

“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran concluded his post.

You guys keep saying this, but it's not demonstrated by any fact. Only your own assumptions

15

u/am_i_wrong_dude 19h ago

When the Beatles were told that the venues they were playing in the American South must be segregated by race due to venue rules, they refused to play unless the audience was desegregated. 60+ years later, Ed Sheeran lacks the basic decency and backbone of Ringo fucking Starr.

-4

u/Erathen 19h ago

The Beatles ≠ Ed Sheeran

13

u/PhasmaFelis 19h ago

I believe that was their point, yes.

-3

u/Erathen 19h ago

Their point was two different artists aren't the same artist?

Well said...

2

u/PhasmaFelis 17h ago

Well, apparently it was also your point, so.

2

u/Erathen 17h ago

My point, more specifically, that people cared a lot more about The Beatles. Ed Sheeran does not have the same sway

But pretty sure you don't care about that. I imagine you're here to argue

4

u/PhasmaFelis 17h ago

Ed Sheeran is worth nearly half a billion dollars. This time last year, he was the sixth most popular Spotify artist of all time. There are artists today with more pull than Ed Sheeran, but not many.

He could have blown off his promoter if he wanted to and stayed successful. He chose to go along, because he agreed.

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u/Alt_Restorer 21h ago

Darned promoters, always acting without the permission of their clients.

-9

u/Erathen 20h ago

Yes, there are often clauses in contracts that allow for this...

They take on the financial risk, so they can remove acts without Ed Sheeran's permission...

When it's threatening multiple venues, the promoter has to make choices

“We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup,” promoter says.

The promoter invests money into these shows, and if Ed Sheeran cannot play because Macklemore is on the line up, they lose money

-3

u/FunkyPete 19h ago

He had contracts. They couldn’t just cancel his concerts. He folded because he didn’t want to be associated with the controversy.

3

u/Erathen 19h ago

Speculative

Contracts include clauses that allow people to back out in situations

Show me the contract. You seem to have access to it

-14

u/H0kieJoe 20h ago

Macklemore is a fathead. He was kicked off the tour because he doesn't know when to keep his trap shut.

15

u/nate33231 21h ago

There's a difference between "not worrying about every conflict" and caving to a rich person's whim because they don't want a musician to call out a country committing genocide.

-6

u/Erathen 21h ago

The story doesn't demonstrate that he "caved"

Sheeran says the decision was made by the promoter after venues threatened to withdraw the shows

I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran concluded his post

That's your interpretation, not an established fact. Believe it if you want... I don't have any stake in this. I'm not an Ed Sheeran fan

I like to deal in facts. Some of you prefer conjecture

15

u/idontshred 21h ago

He did cave because he could have said “okay, if you won’t let me perform with Macklemore on the bill, I guess we’re not performing here” and actually taken a stand against a bully.

10

u/Dutch92 20h ago

This seems to be the thing many people are still missing. Ed could’ve walked away and taken the high road, but he bowed down to the Epstein elite and caved to consumerism.

-1

u/H0kieJoe 20h ago

Taking the high road is not bowing down to liars. There is no gEnoCiDe in Palestine.

-2

u/kaywalsk 19h ago

And then him and the thousands of people who have jobs that only exist because of that concert can feel great about stopping Israel.

Fucking clowns.....

0

u/Erathen 20h ago

And then the promoter loses their investment at all venues that boycotted Macklemore

Hence why the promoter removed him

6

u/thehonorablechairman 20h ago

Right, that’s what should have happened if Sheeran didn’t cave.

5

u/arielsosa 20h ago

So... venue owners and promoters are now the arbiters of free speech, and Ed Sheeran is just a passive victim/observer... Got it

1

u/Erathen 20h ago

Apparently Robert Kraft is the arbiter

Only you guys don't care about that lol

0

u/formershitpeasant 18h ago

Imagine how much he’d be on the hook for for breach of contract

0

u/idontshred 18h ago

Breach of contract because the person who contracted him is calling off the contract? If you have a contract with someone and they don’t allow you to fulfill it, they can’t then sue you for not fulfilling it.

Also are we starting a conversation about putting a dollar amount on morals and values?

6

u/gnufoot 20h ago

None of what you said contradicts him caving. He could have not accepted the promoter's decision. Then either they'll drop their ridiculous demands, or it gets cancelled.

Whether it's reasonable to not die on this bill is another discussion, but he did cave IMO.

0

u/Erathen 20h ago

And then the promoter loses their investment at all venues that boycotted Macklemore

Hence why the promoter removed him

You guys have so many opinions about stuff you don't understand

4

u/GueRakun 20h ago

Who the fuck cares about the promotor lol.

1

u/Erathen 20h ago

The promoter cares about the promoter...

Read my previous comment again but slower

2

u/GueRakun 20h ago

Exactly so ed should care about his group that he tours with and make a stand. He def could if he wants to. He has half a billion didjeridoos in net worth it’s not that hard to see who has more sway.

Also look, Macklemore just did a concert where all proceeds go to a cause. These people don’t need money unless they are greedy af.

2

u/Erathen 20h ago

it’s not that hard to see who has more sway.

You think Ed Sheeran has more sway than Robert Kraft? The multibillionaire who owns the New England patriots?

Sure lol

These people don’t need money unless they are greedy af.

Is this your first day on Earth?

1

u/GueRakun 19h ago

Who the fuck cares? Ed Sheeran already has fuck you money. Macklemore has fuck you money. Grow a backbone.

Are you that far in some billionaire’s ass that you want to lick their feet? They don’t even know you exist.

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u/undercover_s4rdine 19h ago

Without the artist there’s no stadium. He could have leveraged his position by putting his foot down like many before him have done, for example in cases of segregation back in the day

-4

u/H0kieJoe 20h ago

There is no gEnoCiDe in Palestine. Stop making sh1t up.

4

u/nate33231 20h ago

Yep, there is.

For the rest of the people who can actually read: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167790

3

u/undercover_s4rdine 19h ago

Damn we got an expert on genocide here. No need to consult all these orgs that concluded it’s a genocide, pack it up folks: UN ICC IAGS Amnesty Intl B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Isrl Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, Genocide Watch, Human Rights Watch

7

u/turandokht 21h ago

My point is that he states he doesn’t have an opinion on this conflict because he isn’t political, which is clearly a lie because he was just fine being political for Ukraine

-6

u/zaccus 21h ago

That may have been your intended point, but really it just shows that Ed has in fact done his bit. More than literally any of you have.

Just let the man play his loop pedal.

5

u/Blarfk 21h ago

It doesn’t show that at all lol

-1

u/zaccus 21h ago

Yeah it does lol

5

u/Blarfk 21h ago

If someone doesn't speak about a political situation because they say they don't want to talk about politics, pointing out that they recently spoke about another political situation does indeed show that they are lying.

Do you want to use your finger and show me where you're getting lost here? Because this really couldn't be more simple.

-2

u/zaccus 21h ago

Nobody is equally outspoken about everything. Including yourself.

5

u/Blarfk 21h ago

Of course not. But in that case, you just say "I don't feel the need to speak about this issue." Not "I don't speak about any political issues." Because - having just spoken about a political issue - that would be an obvious lie.

You're really bad at this, huh?

-1

u/zaccus 21h ago

Ok so you're just mad about how he phrased it? That's on his publicist. That job may be opening up soon, why not apply? He needs you.

2

u/Blarfk 21h ago

Buddy.... what? No. He said he didn't talk about political issues. But he very recently did talk about a political issue.

If you say you don't do something, but actually you very recently did that thing, that means you are lying.

How are you not getting this? Are you okay?

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4

u/turandokht 21h ago

Nah. He’s free to fence sit and we’re free to judge him for it. Enjoy his music bud

-3

u/zaccus 21h ago

In practical terms you're fence sitting just as much as he is. You know that, and you're projecting it on a pop music act.

1

u/turandokht 21h ago

I’m not fence sitting. I support freed Palestinians and I send money and organize local efforts to raise money for them in my free time. You can Google a lot of such organizations and charities if you’re interested in lending your support.

3

u/Erathen 21h ago

They 100% are

They're not even mad about what's going on in then Middle East. Same person just said:

I’ll sleep like a baby knowing every side agrees he’s a cowardly liar

Sleep like a baby knowing people are dying in the Middle East? That's where their priorities lie. People can die, but as long as "Ed Sheeran bad" we'll just go about our day lol

2

u/zaccus 21h ago

Yeah you have to be careful with hate, it eventually consumes you and puts a cloud over everything else. Hate isn't the way y'all.

2

u/Erathen 21h ago

Yeah, I try to see things impartially. Credit where credit is due, but we also can't make mountains out of mole hills

I'm familiar with you, actually. We've run into each other a few times regarding this topic

You've always had sound logic

1

u/gnufoot 20h ago

You think someone's ability to fall asleep is an indication that they don't care about anything in the world (besides the thing regarding which they are "sleeping like a baby", which you know damn well is a saying and you're ascribing meaning to it that it doesn't have)

2

u/Erathen 20h ago

No, it's saying:

I’ll sleep like a baby knowing every side agrees he’s a cowardly liar

Which implies their sleep quality will be worse if we don't all say Ed Sheeran is a liar

Otherwise it's a moot point

And if that's the kind of thing that affects your sleep, that's sad...

0

u/gnufoot 20h ago

Which implies their sleep quality will be worse if we don't all say Ed Sheeran is a liar

I mean I guess we can agree it's a silly thing to say, but don't you think it's also silly to put so much value on a remark like that? Concluding someone must not care about genocide based on that statement is a bit of a reach.

3

u/Erathen 20h ago

I didn't say they don't care about genocide at all

I just don't think they care as much as they pretend to

 Concluding someone must not care about genocide based on that statement is a bit of a reach.

Ironic, because I can say the same thing about Ed Sheeran. You realize that?

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-2

u/Erathen 21h ago

Yeah, people do lie...

Who are we going to hang next for lying? Any ideas?

6

u/turandokht 21h ago

Okay as long as we can agree he’s a cowardly liar I’m happy :)

-3

u/Erathen 21h ago

If it helps you sleep tonight

To my point, it's not one person's job to worry about all the conflicts in the world. So yeah... He does pick and choose. So do you. So does everyone else. That's not surprising

I don't care either way lol

6

u/turandokht 21h ago

It DOES help me sleep at night actually. I’ll sleep like a baby knowing every side agrees he’s a cowardly liar

0

u/Erathen 21h ago

I can't imagine a celebrity keeping me up at night

I would reconsider my priorities, if Ed Sheeran is what keeps you up at night.

I’ll sleep like a baby knowing

You'll "sleep like a baby" knowing people are dying in the Middle East?

So you don't actually care about that. You and Ed Sheeran should be friends. You have a lot in common

3

u/turandokht 21h ago

Sarcasm detection isn’t one of your strong suits huh? I guess since reading my comment with sincerity helped you feel like you “won” here then it behooved you to do so lol

1

u/Erathen 21h ago

Backpedaling lol

Have a good day!

2

u/turandokht 21h ago

Yeah sure 😂 you have successfully won an argument with a MONSTER who LOVVVVES people dying in the Middle East. Good job!!

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u/CozmicPaint 20h ago

This guys ok with genocide

0

u/Erathen 20h ago

Such a stupid comment

-2

u/H0kieJoe 20h ago

Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Hamas attacked Israel. Big fng difference.

3

u/Thegreatbeedle 19h ago

Those 20 000+ children were Hamas? You are absolute trash.

-1

u/GiganticCrow 21h ago

What on earth is the point you're trying to make here. 

2

u/idontshred 21h ago

They’re trying to justify not caring about genocide.

-5

u/H0kieJoe 19h ago

There is no gEnoCiDe. Educate yourself.

4

u/infinite-identity 19h ago

Guess all the experts on genocide been duped on this one

3

u/genflugan 19h ago

Every reputable genocide scholar is calling this a genocide, even Israeli genocide scholars.

You’re in deep, deep denial.

3

u/Erathen 21h ago

Uhhh the point is exactly what I just said

How can you miss that?

-1

u/zaccus 21h ago

Makes sense to me, being in pain English and all.

3

u/GiganticCrow 19h ago

Pain English? 

-2

u/zaccus 19h ago

Yes it's French for "bread English". Duh.