Madison Square Garden rejects Macklemore’s claim that it refused to host ‘Free Palestine’ tour due to its political message

Madison Square Garden says scheduling and artist scale, not politics, kept Macklemore off its calendar.

Madison Square Garden has rejected Macklemore’s claim that it refused to host his planned “Free Palestine” US tour because of its political message. The organization however said on Friday that the rapper is “not an arena level act” and citing limited venue availability.

Madison Square Garden says scheduling and artist scale, not politics, kept rapper off its calendar as Macklemore alleges major US arenas refused to host benefit shows. Zoe Rain/Handout via REUTERS (via REUTERS)

“We have some of the busiest venues in the world”

Macklemore alleged on Friday that nine major US arenas, including Madison Square Garden (MSG), declined to host his proposed benefit tour after learning it would raise money for Palestine. The Grammy-winning rapper said the venues became unwilling to proceed because of the “Free Palestine” branding.

“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,” the artist wrote on Friday.

In response, an MSG Entertainment spokesperson told TMZ that the venue’s decision had nothing to do with politics.

“We have some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability and he’s not an arena level act.”

The statement directly contradicted Macklemore’s claim that the concerts were rejected because they supported Palestine.

Macklemore says arenas backed away over tour’s message

Macklemore said his European “Free Palestine” concerts sold out in Dublin, Paris and London, giving him confidence to expand the tour to the United States.

After being cut from Sheeran's tour, Macklemore wrote in a social media post that his management contacted US arenas in mid-September and "got available dates at these arenas through the end of the year." However, he added, "those dates were suddenly off the table once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine."

The rapper argued that the words “Free Palestine” “challenged institutions” that, in his view, were tied to established power structures. He said supporters could “build our own stages” if traditional venues refused to host the performances.

The New York Times reported that several arena operators, like Barclays Center in New York, and UBS Arena on Long Island; Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.; Intuit Dome, Kia Forum and Crypto.com Arena in and around Los Angeles; Chase Center Arena in San Francisco; and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Macklemore’s hometown, either declined to comment or disputed the suggestion that political content alone determined booking decisions. Some venues cited scheduling, business considerations or declined to discuss private negotiations.

Tour controversy follows earlier backlash

The latest disagreement follows months of controversy surrounding the rapper’s political activism. Earlier this year, Macklemore drew attention for his pro-Palestinian remarks during concerts and public appearances.

Macklemore was removed as an opening act from Ed Sheeran’s tour following comments made during two New Jersey performances. The removal the triggered massive backlash against Ed Sheeran and prompted other opening acts to leave the tour as well.

Macklemore has continued defending his position, arguing that artists should speak openly about humanitarian issues regardless of commercial consequences.