Macklemore fans question 'hypocrisy' of Kanye West stadium booking

Macklemore fans have questioned the decision to remove him from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour after several stadiums reportedly objected to his appearance, while Kanye West remains scheduled to perform at one of the venues.

Macklemore was due to perform at eight of the tour’s remaining 10 shows before promoter Messina Touring Group announced that he would no longer appear on the dates. The promoter said several venues would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the line-up.

“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, 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, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” the group said.

“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

The decision followed Macklemore wearing a keffiyeh and chanting “Free Palestine” during a performance of “Hind’s Hall”.

Pink subsequently shared a post accusing him of promoting “anti-Israel propaganda” and calling for him to be removed from the tour.

Fans have since compared Macklemore’s removal with Kanye West’s upcoming performance at AT&T Stadium on November 7. The venue was reportedly among those that opposed Macklemore’s appearance.

West faced widespread condemnation in 2022 following a series of antisemitic remarks and social media posts. Fans on social media have questioned why he remains scheduled to perform at the stadium.

One Reddit user wrote, “You can't make this sh-t up… the hypocrisy is out of control.”

Macklemore has also accused New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft of rallying stadium owners against him.

Kraft said his organisation was committed to ensuring venues did not provide a platform for hate speech and cited Macklemore’s recent actions and “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery”.