{
  "id": 18582590,
  "title": "#SHOWBIZ: Macklemore says US venues rejected his Free Palestine tour",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/showbiz-macklemore-says-us-venues-rejected-his-free-palestine-tour",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T22:27:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/groove/2026/11/1572503/showbiz-macklemore-says-us-venues-rejected-his-free-palestine-tour"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "American rapper Macklemore expressed disappointment on Friday that major US concert venues, such as Madison Square Garden in New York, had refused to book his \"Free Palestine\" tour. The tour, which had just completed three dates in Europe, was launched by Macklemore after he was removed as the opening act on Ed Sheeran's concert tour in August. Macklemore claimed that stadium owners objected to him saying \"Free Palestine\" on stage, and as a result, nine US venues have declined to allow him to book available dates through the end of the year. These venues include Madison Square Garden and the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, according to a post on social media where Macklemore stated, \"The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues.\" He added, \"In over 20 years of touring, I've never experienced anything like this.\"\n\nA spokesperson for MSG Entertainment, which operates Madison Square Garden and other venues, stated that their properties are among the busiest in the world with extremely limited availability, and that Macklemore is not an arena-level act. Representatives for the Kia Forum had not yet responded to requests for comment. Macklemore had performed \"Free Palestine\" shows in Dublin, Paris, and London to raise funds for organizations supporting the Palestinian people. He expressed his continued commitment to staging more performances for the cause and emphasized the importance of freedom of speech in a country that prides itself on this principle.",
  "summary": "LOS ANGELES: American rapper Macklemore, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, said on Friday that major US concert venues, including New York’s Madison Square Garden, had refused to book his Free Palestine tour, which had just concluded three dates in Europe.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Stereogum",
        "title": "Macklemore Says US Arenas Won’t Host His Free Palestine Tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-us-arenas-wont-host-his-free-palestine-tour",
        "published": "2026-11-06T17:50:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Middle East Eye",
        "title": "Macklemore says US venues rejected his Free Palestine tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-us-venues-rejected-his-free-palestine-tour",
        "published": "2026-11-06T22:09:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "Macklemore says US venues rejected his Free Palestine tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/macklemore-says-us-venues-rejected-his-free-palestine-tour-18586034",
        "published": "2026-11-06T22:46:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}