Macklemore ‘overwhelmed with gratitude’ after Free Palestine Tour
Macklemore shared a post on Instagram thanking those who performed, attended and supported the events (Niall Carson/PA)
Macklemore has said he is “overwhelmed with gratitude and awe” after finishing his
The 43-year-old, real name Benjamin Haggerty, announced the concerts in London, Paris and Dublin in September after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour over comments he made about Gaza.
Following the final show – which was held in London on October 30 – Macklemore shared a post on Instagram thanking those who performed, attended and supported the events.
Sharing a series of photos of the concerts – which featured acts including Kneecap, Hozier and Paloma Faith – he called the tour his “favourite thing I’ve ever been a part of”.
He wrote: “I am still overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for every musician who stepped on stage in London. Every speaker. Every person who chose to be there.
“We live in an era where advocating for Palestinian life and freedom is controversial. Where saying that Palestine should be free, that Palestinians deserve the same dignity, safety and rights as everyone else, can come at a cost.
“The tour served as a reaffirmation that when we collectively use our voices, our stages and our platforms to stand for the freedom of others, something profound happens. And the crowd is just as much a part of that as the artists. We all are.”
The post continued: “When we move beyond the fear of ‘how will this affect my career?’ and centre collective liberation, something shifts. Love is found. And that feeling of love was abundant in London. I can still feel it in my body.
“After five of the most intense weeks, reaching out to artists, organising, dealing with logistics and constant meetings, it felt like we could all finally exhale.
“There is so much work to do. The march is long. But this felt like a beautiful step toward rekindling something in all of our hearts.”
Concluding the post, Macklemore added: “Thank you to all the artists and speakers that said yes. And thank you to everyone that bought a ticket and supported. I feel honoured to have shared that experience with you all. What a beautiful outcome.”
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Faith – who performed at the London concert – said: “Thank you so much for having me, all of us and letting us have a moment to feel that we weren’t alone in seeing what a terrible injustice it is that lives are treated with such little value … I do hope that one day Palestine is free and when that happens we will all be free.”
Rock band Garbage said: “Thank you for all that you do. You are a beautiful human.”
Australian singer Tones and I – real name Toni Watson – who has toured with the rapper, said: “Wow. It was such a beautiful night, Ben.”
During his show at the OVO Arena Wembley in London on Friday night, videos showed Macklemore telling the cheering crowd he had reached a point where he felt unable to remain silent about the conflict.
“I was scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and seeing the horrific, unimaginable catastrophe that was happening in front of our eyes,” he said.
“At a certain point, it was more uncomfortable for me to stay silent than to say something.
“I just want to say, I don’t believe that saying something is brave. I don’t believe that saying something is courageous. I believe that saying something is human.”
“Those children in Gaza are our children. There is no separation,” he added, and was met with loud cheers from the crowd and chants of “Free Palestine”.
Macklemore, known for hits such as and previously said the gigs “sold out immediately” after going on sale.
All the proceeds from the concerts will go towards a number of organisations working in support of Palestinian people with medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, community support and advocacy.
Those organisations include Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, Heal Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and UNRWA USA.
