U2 have commented on Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour. Guitarist the Edge said the band supported the rapper’s right to say what he wanted and that Sheeran should not be vilified.
The Edge also praised artists who left the tour in solidarity, describing the dispute as a matter of free expression.
Drummer Larry Mullen Jr. said artists can choose whether to be politically active. He said U2 would defend people’s right to speak their minds as long as they do not incite violence, and oppose censorship.
Macklemore was dropped from the North American leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour in September. He had performed two opening sets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he said “Free Palestine,” spoke about Gaza and the West Bank, and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
Promoter Messina Touring Group said venues on the remaining dates would not allow shows with Macklemore on the bill. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft confirmed he barred the rapper from Gillette Stadium, citing his comments and what Kraft called “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”
Sheeran said the promoter had made the decision. Finneas, Lukas Graham and Irish folk band Beoga, which had performed with Sheeran each night, then left the tour. Sheeran later opened a show in Philadelphia by apologizing for “mistakes” in how he handled the situation.
Macklemore has since played three sold-out Free Palestine benefit concerts in Dublin, Paris and London. Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga were among the guests, and the proceeds went to organizations supporting Palestinians.
U2’s 16th studio album, Carnaval De Luz, is due out Nov. 13. It is the band’s first full-length album of new material in nine years, and closes with “Torn,” a duet with the late Dolly Parton that U2 say was her last recorded vocal performance.
