Macklemore turned his opening slot for Ed Sheeran into a pro-Palestinian rally at MetLife Stadium on Friday, September 4, wearing a keffiyeh, performing his protest anthem “Hind's Hall,” and flashing images from Gaza on the stadium's giant screens before tens of thousands of concertgoers in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The set has since triggered a petition, accusations of antisemitism, and demands for refunds from Jewish advocacy groups who say the rapper hijacked a family entertainment event to push a one-sided political message.
According to the New York Post, Macklemore — whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty — accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and called for a free Palestine during his set at the New Jersey Meadowlands. The Israeli-American Council, which says it represents more than 15,000 Israeli-Americans, said the concert was not a political rally, protest, or activist event, and accused Macklemore of spreading antisemitic propaganda by using a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.
Concertgoer Josh Wein, who attended the show with his family, said Macklemore's chanting and political comments confused his daughters, and said his family has vowed to stop supporting Ed Sheeran. Fellow attendees Noya Zuaretz and Gefen Levin, who said friends of theirs were killed in the war and at the Nova festival, told the outlet they were shocked and horrified by the performance. The Israeli-American Council has since started a petition calling for Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the remainder of his tour, and it is calling on venues broadly to establish boundaries between entertainment and political performances.
Onstage Imagery Went Beyond a Single Song
The rapper's messaging reportedly extended well past the confines of “Hind's Hall.” As reported by the Times of Israel, Macklemore used his opening set to call for the liberation of Cuba, Congo, Sudan, and Iran, and explicitly labeled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a terrorist organization. The onstage visuals during his performance reportedly included footage from Gaza, photos of Israeli soldiers, pro-Palestinian rally footage, and a graphic quote reading, “Holocaust survivor says stop the genocide in Gaza.”
The MetLife Stadium date opened Ed Sheeran's two-night New Jersey run on his Loop Tour, which also featured a surprise guest appearance by Camila Cabello performing “Bam Bam” alongside opening sets from Lukas Graham and BIIRD, according to concert coverage circulated on YouTube. Tickets for the show ranged from $71 to $210. Sheeran's management did not immediately respond to the New York Post's request for comment, nor did Macklemore's public relations team.
A Song Rooted in a Documented Tragedy
“Hind's Hall” takes its name from the Columbia University building that pro-Palestinian student protesters symbolically renamed in memory of five-year-old Hind Rajab, according to background compiled on Wikipedia. Macklemore released the track in May 2024 with all streaming proceeds pledged to UNRWA, and it became a widely shared anthem among campus protest movements. He followed it with “Hind's Hall 2” in September 2024, featuring Gaza-born rapper MC Abdul, Palestinian-American author Amer Zahr, and singer Anees, with lyrics warning then-Vice President Kamala Harris that U.S. arms shipments to Israel could cost the Democratic ticket votes in Michigan, as reported by Exclaim!.
The tragedy behind the song gained new official weight last month. In August 2026, the Israel Defense Forces publicly acknowledged for the first time that its troops fired on the vehicle carrying Hind Rajab and her family in Gaza in January 2024, and announced a military police criminal investigation into that incident and the shelling of an approaching Red Crescent ambulance, according to The Guardian. Israel has said it targets only terrorists and warns civilians to leave before attacks. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which the Post notes does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists, has attributed more than 73,000 deaths inside the Palestinian enclave to the war.
Jewish Advocacy Groups Escalate Pressure
StopAntisemitism has called the MetLife performance propaganda and is demanding that fans receive apologies and refunds. Mark Treyger, CEO of the New York Jewish Coalition, urged Sheeran and his team to heed concerns about Macklemore's performance, warning that one-sided political messaging at a major concert divides people. Treyger also said antisemitic hate crimes have run rampant since the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel.
The MetLife set was not an isolated incident for Macklemore, who has repeatedly used prominent stages for political statements. At a 2023 pro-Palestinian rally in Washington, he called the war a genocide, and at a 2024 rally he chanted “F–k America.” Similar remarks at a September 2024 benefit concert in Seattle — where he told the crowd “Fuck America” — led to his removal from the Las Vegas Neon City Festival lineup, as reported by HipHopDX. He later said the Seattle comments were driven by grief and anger over the Gaza conflict. In August 2024, he also canceled a planned October performance in Dubai, citing the United Arab Emirates' reported role in supplying weapons to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces, saying he would not perform there until that support ceased.
What Comes Next on the Loop Tour
Macklemore assumed the lead support slot on Sheeran's Loop Tour in late August 2026, a run spanning 22 cities through November across stadiums including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, and Gillette Stadium, with Macklemore booked across 10 dates. MetLife Stadium, which seats 82,500 and enforces policies restricting unauthorized banners and disruptive audience behavior, is also slated to host eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. Whether the venue or Sheeran's team will act on the Israeli-American Council's petition remains unclear, as neither has issued a public response. According to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the agency was created in 1971. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority describes its Meadowlands Action Plan for Safety as the District's first comprehensive safety action plan, aimed at creating safer streets for all users.
