Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha said rapper Macklemore has become a “martyr” and should travel to Gaza to support Palestinian causes if he is actually that passionate.
“He turned an afterthought of an opening act from being a concert that people, in some cases, pay hundreds of dollars to attend, into an Ivy League campus protest, which nobody wants to see,” Concha said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends First on Friday.
The controversy surrounding Macklemore came from a promoter’s decision to remove him from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour, after Macklemore said “free Palestine” onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore issued a statement on Instagram on Monday announcing that he was dropped from Sheeran’s tour after facing pushback from Robert Kraft. The Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, where Macklemore and Sheeran were slated to perform later this month.
Concha said Kraft and other stadiums have “every right to decide who performs in their house. It’s that simple.”
“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore said on Instagram.
Sheeran responded to the backlash on Tuesday.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,” Sheeran said in a statement on Instagram on Tuesday.
“I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft,” Sheeran said. “I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with carrots on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
Concha said that all remaining opening acts, Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Beoga, and the touring band, have pulled themselves from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
“That says the world is upside-down,” Concha said.
“Macklemore now, obviously, benefiting from this, now he’s been turned into a martyr.”
Concha highlighted Macklemore’s past controversies, including backlash from a performance in 2014 where he took the stage wearing a bushy black beard, a dark wig, and a fake nose.
Pro-Israel groups said the costume resembled anti-Jewish caricatures. Macklemore said the resemblance was a coincidence.
“A fake witches nose, wig, and beard = random costume. Not my idea of a stereotype of anybody,” Macklemore said on social media at the time.
After being kicked off the tour, Macklemore pledged to take the next $1 million of his earnings from Ed Sheeran’s tour to organizations supporting Palestinians.
“If Macklemore and his opening acts are so passionate about this, they can go to Gaza and put action behind their words, but that just ain’t gonna happen,” Concha said.
Gillette Stadium issued a statement in response to Macklemore’s post.
“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” the post on Instagram said.
DAVE PORTNOY DEFENDS KRAFT OVER MACKLEMORE EXPULSION: ‘HE OWNS THE STADIUM, IT’S HIS HOUSE’
Kraft continued, “In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”
Sheeran’s next concert is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.