Dublin Arena Fills for Macklemore Benefit After Sheeran Split

Musician Macklemore opened his Free Palestine Tour on Monday night in Dublin.

The event took place at the 3Arena, a venue with a capacity that was fully sold out.

Organizers kept the lineup secret until the performance began.

The bill included Hozier and the Irish hip hop group Kneecap.

DJ Habibeats, Lina Makoul, and rapper M1 of Dead Prez also performed.

Boega, the backing band that dropped out of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour in solidarity, joined the lineup.

Liam Cunningham, Nadia Greenspan, and Samir Eskanda spoke to the audience.

Cunningham told the crowd that enjoying the music meant celebrating Palestinian humanity.

He said, "Enjoying tonight does not mean forgetting about the suffering in Gaza."

He added that it meant celebrating the life Palestinians have fought to protect.

The concert series continues in Paris and London.

The next show is scheduled for October 29 at Accor Arena in Paris. A final performance is set for October 30 at OVO Arena Wembley in London. Both venues have sold out all tickets. All proceeds from the three concerts will go to organizations supporting Palestine. A press release stated these groups provide medical supplies, food, and education. It noted that the concerts focus on families, students, and healthcare workers in Gaza. The tour follows Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour last month. He was dropped after sharing a pro-Palestine message during opening sets. Messina Touring Group, the promoter for the Loop Tour, announced the decision. The group said venues threatened to pull out if Macklemore remained on the bill. The promoter stated that this would have cancelled the tour and affected hundreds of thousands of fans. Ed Sheeran addressed the issue on stage later. He said he did not want to be an activist musician. He noted that the situation involved freedom of speech and complex politics. He described his concerts as a safe space for everyone. He expressed worry about venues pre-approving performance content. He said this should not happen in the free world. In an Instagram post, Macklemore called for artists to use their stages for more than entertainment. He argued that being apolitical during a genocide no longer works in 2026. He urged artists to push back when calls for a free Palestine are met with attempts to silence them.