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Madison Square Garden has pushed back against Macklemore's claim that the arena refused to host a stop on his Free Palestine Tour.
On Friday, Nov. 6, an MSG representative spoke to Billboard, saying the rapper does not meet its booking requirements.
“We have some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability and he’s not an arena level act.”
The response came hours after Macklemore named MSG and eight other major American venues he said had withdrawn potential dates after learning his shows would benefit Palestine.
The list included Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena.
Macklemore said his team had spent weeks contacting the venues and initially received available dates through the end of the year. However, he alleged organizers took the offers off the table once they learned the shows' purpose.
He wrote after performing in Dublin, Paris, and London:
“From the beginning, our plan was to bring this tour home to the U.S. But after weeks of reaching out, nine major American arenas have turned us down.”
The rapper also criticized venues over their business relationships with Israel, saying he would rather lose career opportunities than support people who prioritize those relationships over Palestinian lives.
MSG's statement comes despite the tour's previous international stops taking place at arenas.
The artist's shows at Dublin's 3Arena, Paris' Accor Arena and London's OVO Arena Wembley reportedly sold out immediately. Hozier, Kneecap and AURORA also made guest appearances during the performances.
He previously headlined Madison Square Garden with Ryan Lewis on Nov. 14, 2013, during the height of their commercial success.
Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour
The dispute follows his removal from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour supporting lineup after he incorporated pro-Palestinian demonstrations into his opening performances.
On Sept. 4, at MetLife Stadium, he performed his protest anthem Hind’s Hall and told the crowd:
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”
The following day, he echoed the message and told the audience:
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.”
The rapper’s sentiments led the Israeli-American Council to request his removal from the tour’s lineup. The organization issued a petition, in which they wrote:
“The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda. This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity.”
He subsequently announced the Free Palestine Tour and donated $1 million to humanitarian aid for Gaza.
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Also Read: Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap shows support for Macklemore following his ban from Ed Sheeran's tour
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