{
  "id": 18571761,
  "title": "Macklemore says he can't get U.S. venues to book his Free Palestine Tour; MSG responds [Updated]",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-he-cant-get-u-s-venues-to-book-his-free-palestine",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-06T18:44:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/macklemore-free-palestine-us-booking"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Macklemore's Free Palestine Tour, which aimed to raise awareness for the Palestinian cause, faced significant challenges in securing venues in the United States. After his successful European tour, the rapper announced plans to bring his shows to the U.S., but nine prominent arenas, including Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Prudential Center, UBS Arena, as well as Los Angeles-based Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, and Intuit Dome, promptly declined his request. The rapper also mentioned that San Francisco's Chase Center and Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena turned him down. Macklemore highlighted that after weeks of negotiations, these venues abruptly changed their stance once they discovered the tour's cause. In an Instagram post, he expressed frustration, stating that after twenty years in the industry, he had never encountered such resistance. He emphasized his stance, saying he would rather forgo opportunities in his career than endorse businesses that prioritize relationships with Israel over Palestinian lives. The issue is particularly notable as Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, played a pivotal role in initially removing Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's tour. Kraft reportedly pressured other stadium owners to apply similar pressure, aiming to have the rapper removed from the Free Palestine Tour. However, his European dates proved popular, selling out quickly. Recently, a spokesperson for MSG Entertainment, managing Madison Square Garden, commented that the venue's schedule is extremely tight, and Macklemore's profile does not align with an arena-level act.",
  "summary": "After a sold-out string of shows in Europe, Macklemore says that nine venues in the United States have rejected hosting a Free Palestine show.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Consequence",
        "title": "Macklemore Says Major Arenas Refusing to Host His “Free Palestine” Tour in US",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-major-arenas-refusing-to-host-his-free-palestine-tour",
        "published": "2026-11-06T17:58:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Pitchfork",
        "title": "Macklemore Accuses U.S. Arenas of Turning Down Free Palestine Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-accuses-u-s-arenas-of-turning-down-free-palestine-tour",
        "published": "2026-11-06T18:17:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Billboard",
        "title": "Macklemore Calls Out MSG, Kia Forum & More U.S. Arenas for Allegedly Refusing to Host His Free Palestine Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-calls-out-msg-kia-forum-more-u-s-arenas-for-allegedly",
        "published": "2026-11-06T18:50:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Macklemore Says Madison Square Garden and Other US Arenas Are Blocking His ‘Free Palestine’ Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-madison-square-garden-and-other-us-arenas-are",
        "published": "2026-11-06T19:10:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Macklemore Says Madison Square Garden, Kia Forum Among Arenas That Declined to Host His Free Palestine Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-madison-square-garden-kia-forum-among-arenas-that",
        "published": "2026-11-06T19:18:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rolling Stone",
        "title": "Macklemore Says Nine U.S. Venues Turned Down ‘Free Palestine’ Tour: ‘They Got Me F-cked Up’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-nine-u-s-venues-turned-down-free-palestine-tour-they",
        "published": "2026-11-06T19:38:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Macklemore Accuses Madison Square Garden and Eight Other Arenas of Banning His ‘Free Palestine’ Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-accuses-madison-square-garden-and-eight-other-arenas-of",
        "published": "2026-11-06T19:43:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "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”",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-u-s-arenas-have-turned-down-the-free-palestine-tour",
        "published": "2026-11-06T20:50:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}