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” — SkimNews
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- Madison Square Garden and eight other U.S. arenas — Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena — turned down Macklemore’s Free Palestine benefit tour, according to his account.
- Macklemore said that by mid-September, the nine venues had offered dates running through year-end, but withdrew them after learning the shows were for Palestine; despite different conversations, the result was the same.
- Macklemore said his three benefit concerts in Dublin, Paris and London were sold out, called them the “most beautiful shows” he had ever been part of and said more dates would be coming.
- Macklemore said he had spent the previous three years “playing nice” with the venue organizations and regretted not speaking publicly when Zionists were “kicking me under the table.”
- Macklemore said he would rather lose every opportunity in the music industry than protect people who, in his view, value business relationships with Israel more than Palestinian human life.
- Macklemore said the Free Palestine effort would keep raising funds and that its organizers would “build our own stages,” adding: “They may own the arenas. But they do not own the people who fill them.”
- Macklemore argued that a handful of billionaires are deciding which causes are acceptable, which voices are welcome and which human lives are worth defending, despite the country’s pride in free speech.
Why it matters: For Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour, the nine U.S. refusals block dates that had been offered through year-end, while his answer is more shows and stages built outside the venues’ control. The arenas retain discretion over which political causes can use their spaces, and Macklemore says that concentration of private business power is narrowing acceptable speech.
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