American rapper Macklemore has launched his Free Palestine tour in Dublin, weeks after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour following his pro-Palestinian comments onstage, the BBC reports.
The rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, performed before a crowd of up to 13,000 at the city's sold-out 3Arena. He had promised "many incredible surprise guests" for the show.
Singer-songwriter Hozier, rap trio Kneecap and folk band Beoga were among the performers. Beoga had also appeared on Sheeran's tour.
Macklemore announced the tour days after being removed from Sheeran's Loop Tour last month.
He faced criticism from Jewish groups after saying "Free Palestine" at two concerts and making political speeches, including describing the death toll from Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide, a claim Israel rejects.
Sheeran later said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his concert promoter, Messina Touring Group, rather than by him personally.
Macklemore has said proceeds from the Free Palestine tour will go to organisations supporting Palestinians. He is scheduled to perform in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday.
'This is the hottest ticket'
The Dublin concert sold out, with dozens of fans queuing outside the venue hours before it opened. According to the BBC, many wore keffiyeh scarves and Palestinian jerseys, while others carried Palestinian and Irish flags.
Nicola McCollough, who travelled from Belfast with her daughter Lily Rose Murphy for the latter's first concert, said she welcomed Macklemore's support for Gaza.
"More people need to, if you have the platform, do it because not everybody has that kind of stage," Nicola said.
Gillian Duffy, who travelled from Cork with her son Joshua, said she believed the demand for tickets reflected strong public support for the rapper.
"This is the hottest ticket because people want to be here, they really, really want to show their support," she said.
Jess O'Riordan, also from Cork, described Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's tour as "absolutely appalling", adding that she wished more artists would use their platforms as he does.
Why was Macklemore dropped from Sheeran's tour?
The controversy began in early September when Macklemore, performing as Sheeran's opening act at a concert in New Jersey, told the audience that a major reason he wanted to join the tour was to say "Free Palestine" in front of stadium crowds.
He later performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University in the United States. Its lyrics criticised Israel's military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Macklemore was removed from the tour on 14 September and accused stadium owners of working together to push him out. Billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft also accused him of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric surrounding Israel and Gaza.
Sheeran subsequently said the decision was made by Messina Touring Group. The controversy prompted his other support acts to withdraw from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, while some fans expressed frustration.
Addressing the issue at a concert in Philadelphia, Sheeran acknowledged making "mistakes" in handling the fallout and apologised to fans.
He described the Israel-Gaza conflict as a humanitarian issue, calling the 7 October attacks "horrific" and the situation in Gaza "unjustifiable and disproportionate".