Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas shut out his Palestine benefit shows; MSG pushes back

Seattle rapper Macklemore says nine major U.S. arenas, from Madison Square Garden to Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, withdrew available dates once they learned his concerts would raise money for Palestinians. Madison Square Garden's operator rejected the claim, saying its venues have extremely limited availability and that he is "not an arena level act."

Macklemore says he cannot find an American arena willing to host his Free Palestine benefit concerts. In a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, the Seattle rapper said nine major U.S. venues had turned down the tour he planned to bring home after three sold-out shows in Dublin, Paris and London last month.

"After weeks of reaching out, nine major American arenas have turned us down," he wrote. He said his team had been offered available dates through the end of the year by mid-September, but that the offers vanished "once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine."

The nine arenas he named

According to his statement, as reported by Fox News, The Fader and NME, the venues are Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center and UBS Arena in the New York area; the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey; the Kia Forum, Intuit Dome and Crypto.com Arena in the Los Angeles area; Chase Center in San Francisco; and Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, his hometown.

Madison Square Garden in New York City

"In over twenty years of touring, I've never experienced anything like this," Macklemore wrote. He argued that to the venue owners "the words Free Palestine represent a threat" and said the setback would not end the project. "We will build our own stages," he wrote, adding that there will be more shows for Palestine. He has not announced any U.S. dates.

Madison Square Garden disputes his account

MSG Entertainment, which runs Madison Square Garden, rejected the suggestion that the decision was political. "We have some of the busiest venues in the world with extremely limited availability and he's not an arena level act," a spokesperson told TMZ. The other arenas did not immediately respond to requests for comment, The Fader reported.

The list also includes Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, home of the NHL's Kraken, in the city where Macklemore built his career.

Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle

From Sheeran's tour to Europe

The dispute is the latest chapter in a fight that began in September, when Macklemore was dropped from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after calling for a free Palestine while opening at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The tour's promoter, Messina Touring Group, told Rolling Stone that venues on upcoming dates would not allow a concert with Macklemore on the lineup, Anadolu Agency reported. Sheeran has said the promoter, not he, made the call.

Macklemore responded by organizing his own run, billed as "Macklemore and Friends." It opened Oct. 26 at Dublin's 3Arena with guests including Hozier and Kneecap, continued Oct. 29 at the Accor Arena in Paris and closed Oct. 30 at London's OVO Arena Wembley, where climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke. Proceeds go to organizations supporting Palestinians, including Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and Gaza Soup Kitchen.

Photos: Zoe Rain/Reuters (cover); Ajay Suresh and Sea Cow via Wikimedia Commons

Macklemore says nine U.S. arenas shut out his Palestine benefit shows; MSG pushes back