Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Nixon, Ilana Glazer and Natasha Rothwell lent their star power to Macklemore on Monday night (October 26), appearing remotely as the rapper launched his three-date Free Palestine benefit series before a sold-out crowd at Dublin’s 3Arena. Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas also checked in from afar, while Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham was there in person, taking the stage as one of the evening’s featured speakers.
The music matched the celebrity turnout. Hozier and Kneecap headlined a long list of guest performers that also included Irish folk group Beoga, singer-songwriter Lina Makoul, Dead Prez’s M1 and DJ Habibeats. Psychotherapist and activist Nadia Greenspan and artist-organizer Samir Eskanda joined Cunningham among the night’s speakers.
Where the proceeds go
Organisers say money raised across the run will support groups delivering humanitarian aid, healthcare, schooling and advocacy for Palestinians. Live Nation’s September announcement listed Anera, Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Jewish Voice for Peace and UNRWA USA among the recipients.
How it started
The benefit series traces back to September, when Macklemore left the North American stretch of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour without warning. At a MetLife Stadium show, he had shouted “Free Palestine” and expressed solidarity with people in Gaza and the West Bank. He later claimed New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft lobbied to have him dropped. Kraft acknowledged he had blocked the rapper from performing at Gillette Stadium, pointing to those remarks and accusing him of a longer pattern of antisemitic statements and imagery. Sheeran distanced himself from the call, saying it came from his promoter.
Other openers walked away from the tour in protest, including Beoga, who had been sharing the stage with Sheeran nightly before joining Macklemore in Dublin. The rapper has committed the full $1 million he netted from the Sheeran dates to Palestinian relief organizations.
Back on stage
The Dublin show followed Macklemore’s return to performing on October 22 at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, his first concert since the split. Across 17 songs, he repeated his call for Palestinian freedom and also addressed crises in Sudan, Congo, Lebanon and Haiti, along with those affected by U.S. immigration enforcement.
The tour heads next to Paris’ Accor Arena on Thursday (October 29) before closing at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Friday (October 30). Both remaining shows, like Dublin, are sold out.
A two-time Hot 100 chart-topper, Macklemore reached No. 1 in 2013 with Ryan Lewis on “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us.”