Nine U.S. arenas declined Palestine benefit shows, Macklemore accuses Madison Square Garden, eight arenas of banning Free Palestine tour

Nine venues turned down shows

In a statement posted to Instagram on Friday, Macklemore said his team had been offered available dates through the end of 2026. He said nine arenas later declined to host the benefit shows once they learned they were for Palestine.

The venues he identified were Madison Square Garden, Prudential Center, Barclays Center, UBS Arena, Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena, Chase Center and Climate Pledge Arena. Macklemore said the conversations differed, but none of the shows would be allowed at those venues.

Macklemore describes an unusual setback

Macklemore said he had not encountered a situation like this in more than twenty years of touring. He also said the experience was not isolated, pointing to consequences faced by people who have expressed solidarity with Palestinians. He said activists, poets, writers, musicians and entertainers had faced consequences over decades, adding that many had paid a greater price than he had.

Arenas have not commented

Representatives for the arenas did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Macklemore did not describe a single explanation shared by all nine venues. “The doors were closed,” Macklemore said, describing the outcome of the discussions.