Sept. 7, 2026
Jewish Org Demands Ed Sheeran Drop His Headliner, Macklemore, From Tour
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RSS Feed The Israeli American Council is demanding Ed Sheeran remove Macklemore from his concert lineup, after Macklemore made a “Free Palestine” statement and sang his protest song, ‘Hind’s Hall” while headlining for Sheeran this weekend at MetLife Stadium. The non-profit Jewish organization has not only called on Sheeran to take action, but also his tour leadership and the venues hosting the tour. The group also wants to know who knew in advance about Macklemore’s speech, visual content and performance, saying “freedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility.”
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, September 7th.
00:00:04
Speaker 2: Yes, Labor Day. And Robach and I were at a concert over the weekend, and we didn't realize it was controversial. Because one of the artists, well, one group is demanding that Ed Sheeran kick his headliner off his tour. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. We are talking about, it's not new that this artist... has gotten in trouble with some things he said having to do with.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: Palestine. And he did it again over the weekend and did it twice.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's intentional for sure.
00:00:41
Speaker 4: We're talking about Macklemore.
00:00:43
Speaker 3: He is one of the opening acts for Ed Sheeran and he has been an outspoken and wrote, has even written a song about freeing Palestine. He has not been shy about it and he makes it, A part of his artistry.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: Yeah. This isn't new stuff that he would make such a comment. It's cost him opportunities in the past.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:01:05
Speaker 1: No surprise. Ed Sheeran, it doesn't get.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: Much bigger than Ed Sheeran when it comes to music in this country over the past decade. This guy has been a hit maker and one of the most popular artists going and one of the most popular artists streaming.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: You name it. He's a big international deal. Yes.
00:01:22
Speaker 4: And you know what?
00:01:24
Speaker 3: Being at his concert, you really see he pulls in folks from all different walks of life, different ages. We saw young kids. We saw older people. We saw every color in the rainbow, men and women. I mean, more women than men, probably. But still, I was impressed. There wasn't... Like, we were wondering, who are his fans? Like, what type of people? And it really looked like all people. It was really cool.
00:01:50
Speaker 1: A lot of them are guys who don't like to dance, apparently.
00:01:53
Speaker 4: Or who can't dance.
00:01:54
Speaker 1: This was the.
00:01:55
Speaker 2: Funny part at the concert. Yes, there were a bunch of guys. It looked like a lot of guys were there because they brought their wives and their daughters.
00:02:00
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:02:01
Speaker 2: There were a lot of young girls, and we saw that dynamic play out a lot. And a lot of the guys in the concert, they were standing up, yes, next to a woman or girls, and the girls are jamming and The guys standing there with their arms folded like they didn't even know many of the songs.
00:02:13
Speaker 3: And that was for the best, because if those guys had tried to dance, it would have really.
00:02:17
Speaker 4: Taken away from the music.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: I'm sorry.
00:02:19
Speaker 4: I think that was just a public service that they were providing.
00:02:22
Speaker 2: So here I am front and center, dancing my butt off to every song. I love this guy. Absolutely love Ed Sheeran. So we're at the concert, but Macklemore rose. And the reason Ed Sheeran is important, because if Macklemore had said this at one of his shows, I don't think we would hear a thing about it.
00:02:36
Speaker 3: Because that would have been expected. And his tour, his stage, his platform. So yeah, if you don't like it, don't go to the concert.
00:02:46
Speaker 2: So here is the thing, Robes. It appears now that Ed Sheeran, the name he has, folks are taking... Robes, you mentioned Ed Sheeran. We are calling on Ed Sheeran to kick Macklemore off his tour.
00:03:00
Speaker 1: That elevates it, does it not?
00:03:01
Speaker 4: It does. But look, here's the deal. I think we know Ed Sheeran.
00:03:05
Speaker 3: is very well aware of Macklemore's feelings, Macklemore's music, and the fact that this is what Macklemore does when he gets on stage. And he knew that when he agreed to, signed him up to be a part of his tour.
00:03:19
Speaker 2: And this tour has been going all year. It will continue through the end of the year. Will Macklemore continue? So, folks, he came on the scene with Thrift Shop. Still, that song was hilarious.
00:03:30
Speaker 1: It was cool. It was innovative. It was fun.
00:03:33
Speaker 2: That's what put him on the map, but he's had plenty of hits since. But Robes, yes, the last couple of years he has taken up some political stances, and he has let his view be known. He's on stage, how he feels about free Palestine. He's said that plenty on stage. Now, this is what he said. We'll give you the first part that got attention. Robes and some concertgoers made note of it, and now we have one of the most influential nonprofit American-Israeli organizations in the country calling on him. To be kicked off the tour, but this will give a preview. There's a longer part, but this is the part that people are pointing to.
00:04:06
Speaker 4: Yes, Macklemore said this on stage.
00:04:08
Speaker 3: A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart.
00:04:20
Speaker 4: Free Palestine. I said free Palestine.
00:04:25
Speaker 3: I want those words to be loud and clear so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.
00:04:34
Speaker 1: Uh-oh.
00:04:35
Speaker 2: So this was accompanied, apparently, Robes, by art. There was a huge, there was a massive screen up, and the artists who were performing, Ed Sheeran in particular, we saw his whole show, video up there. It's all fully coordinated.
00:04:50
Speaker 3: It's really cool.
00:04:51
Speaker 1: It is awesome.
00:04:52
Speaker 3: So.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: There's no way to suggest robes. There was art that went with this. There were videos that went with this. He wasn't just ad-libbing and doing this.
00:05:01
Speaker 1: Off the cuff.
00:05:02
Speaker 3: Yes, this was not something he chose to do in a moment's notice.
00:05:06
Speaker 4: This was planned. This was produced.
00:05:09
Speaker 3: And now I think at this point it should be expected. And he didn't just do it Friday night. He did it Friday and Saturday night. This was a part of his performance.
00:05:18
Speaker 2: And he performed in particular robes. One song that's been out for a couple of years. This is essentially his protest song that he did years ago when a lot of the student protests were going on on college campuses.
00:05:28
Speaker 4: That's right. It's called Heinz Hall.
00:05:30
Speaker 3: And if you remember at Columbia University, Hamilton Hall was renamed during the student protest to Heinz Hall, all in honor of a five-year-old who was killed in Gaza. Heinz Rajab was the name.
00:05:46
Speaker 4: And this was... Yeah, it's an anthem. It's a protest song.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: But yeah, that was temporary. It was a protest, the thing they did on campus. So he has this song that's out there. So... We, actually to go back, we missed Macklemore. So we were supposed to be there to see Macklemore. This was all part, I'll say thank you again, Robes. The Christmas gift finally paid off eight months later.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: Or is it nine months?
00:06:13
Speaker 2: But yes, Robes is a big proponent of giving experiences.
00:06:18
Speaker 3: Yes, yes.
00:06:19
Speaker 4: And so I knew that you loved Ed Sheeran. In fact, I would say... One of our songs is an Ed Sheeran song for sure.
00:06:27
Speaker 3: We've even considered immortalizing it.
00:06:31
Speaker 4: But yes. So Ed Sheeran is near and dear to us.
00:06:34
Speaker 3: So I was trying to find a fun experience gift for you at Christmas and I saw Ed.
00:06:38
Speaker 4: Sheeran was playing and I was like, oh, not until Labor Day weekend. You know what?
00:06:43
Speaker 3: It'll be something to anticipate and look forward to. So, yes, we finally got to go. The problem is neither one of us had ever schlepped our way over to MetLife Stadium.
00:06:53
Speaker 4: And for folks who don't know the geography here in New York, we're in Manhattan.
00:06:57
Speaker 3: MetLife Stadium is just across the Hudson.
00:07:01
Speaker 4: It's just across the Hudson.
00:07:02
Speaker 3: I mean, I have to look it up, but I think it's probably 10 miles or less from our home, from our apartment.
00:07:09
Speaker 4: It is a absolute nightmare trying to get over there. So I looked. I was like, you know what? This is a Christmas gift. We should go full black car, like just really do it up. Let's do it. So I go and I get a quote.
00:07:22
Speaker 3: And you know the quotes are always way lower than what they actually end up being. Before tip, before probably all the surcharges that they try to put on there and taxes and you name it, congestion charge. Anyway, we were at $ 875. They won't let you do a one-way back or you have to do a round trip. And I was like, okay, so $ 1, 000 for a car. Oof. And then you start looking at the drive time. And people are saying it can take two and a half hours because of traffic. And we had a friend confirm it was a five-hour round trip the last time he went to MetLife Stadium. So price and time ruled out. Let's just take some mass transit. Didn't realize it was going to be three separate trains. So I estimated about an hour I thought I would give us to get there.
00:08:09
Speaker 4: Hour and a half. What did it take? We missed Macklemore, bottom line.
00:08:14
Speaker 3: We did try to get there in time, and we got there right when Ed Sheeran was taking the stage.
00:08:19
Speaker 2: And it's fair to say when you initially bought the tickets for Christmas, did we know Macklemore was a headliner?
00:08:24
Speaker 4: No, I did not know.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: So I am a pretty big Macklemore fan.
00:08:28
Speaker 4: I know you are.
00:08:29
Speaker 2: I've liked his songs over the years. I have a great story I'll tell you later I think you know about. I was at a Macklemore concert like an hour and a half before I had to be live on GMA in Vegas. I love the guy. I love, love, love his music. So I was looking forward to it. We wanted to see him. We made the whole plan. We don't usually watch a lot of headliners, but this one we'll go see.
00:08:55
Speaker 1: We tried. So little did we know what we were missing, Robes. Right?
00:09:00
Speaker 4: If we had known that we were doing a podcast on it on Monday, we would have left even earlier.
00:09:04
Speaker 3: We left at 6, and I think we got there at 8.
00:09:07
Speaker 4: I really do think it took us two hours.
00:09:10
Speaker 2: And by the time, Robes, it timed out. We were walking to the seat with a drink in our hand. Here comes Ed.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: Yep.
00:09:18
Speaker 4: I mean, we timed it out perfectly. To see Ed Sheeran.
00:09:21
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:09:21
Speaker 4: We did not time it out perfectly to see Macklemore.
00:09:24
Speaker 2: So we missed Macklemore, and I didn't hear anything about it that night. Nobody was buzzing necessarily. We went on Saturday night. He had already done this on Friday. He did it on Saturday as well. But then the Israeli-American Council got word of it robed. And this is, if folks don't know, this is, I do believe, the largest nonprofit American-Israeli organization in the country.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:09:44
Speaker 2: They are incredibly influential. So we're going to go through, and they have a petition up. but they want Ed Sheeran in robes. They're directing this toward Ed Sheeran, not McLemore.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: Okay, here is the petition.
00:09:59
Speaker 3: At Ed Sheeran's September 4th concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, opening act McLemore used the stage to deliver an extended political message called for free Palestine and performed Heinz Hall while images from Gaza and other political messaging were projected across stadium screens.
00:10:19
Speaker 4: This was an Ed.
00:10:20
Speaker 3: Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.
00:10:27
Speaker 1: Can I stop there for a second?
00:10:28
Speaker 2: Is that the suggestion that unless this is a particular type of thing, you shouldn't speak your mind?
00:10:33
Speaker 3: I didn't realize that that was something that was a known, like that that should be something that is expected.
00:10:39
Speaker 1: But go with Oscars, Emmys, Grammy. I mean, people make statements all the time at non-political events.
00:10:46
Speaker 4: Isn't that called free speech?
00:10:48
Speaker 2: But is this a suggestion? Am I reading that right? This is a concert, so shut up.
00:10:53
Speaker 4: That is what it seems to be saying.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: It's fine if you have that view, but please continue.
00:10:57
Speaker 4: It goes on.
00:10:58
Speaker 3: The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda. This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact without context or complexity. The decision to perform Heinz Hall was not incidental. This song, or the song, was written in explicit support of the campus protest movement and takes its name from Heinz Hall, the name protesters gave Columbia University's Hamilton Hall after occupying the building.
00:11:41
Speaker 4: Some of those.
00:11:42
Speaker 3: Protests involved trespassing, building occupations, vandalism, disruption of university operations, and violations of the law, conduct that stands in direct conflict with core American values, including the rule of law, open discourse, respect for institutions, and shared civic space.
00:12:02
Speaker 1: All right. I don't know, baby.
00:12:05
Speaker 4: Look, they don't like what he said.
00:12:07
Speaker 1: They don't like what he said.
00:12:08
Speaker 4: They don't like what he said.
00:12:09
Speaker 1: Which is fine, right?
00:12:10
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:12:12
Speaker 2: They didn't respond to what he said. It felt like we're taking issue with him having a platform to say it. And we didn't get to respond in front of the same audience with the same number of people paying attention to us.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: I didn't see it. To go into that part, Robes, where you're un-American now.
00:12:36
Speaker 4: Well, so that's exactly what I was about to say.
00:12:39
Speaker 1: Now you're un-American.
00:12:40
Speaker 4: They are literally using the.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: Ironically, his right to free speech. I mean, they're acting as if they should get equal time, like he's.
00:12:50
Speaker 4: A broadcaster, like he has a broadcasting license. They're applying something that.
00:12:56
Speaker 3: Would absolutely be fair to say if you're talking about a television show using national airwaves, this is a private concert that people pay money for and they know who they're going to see ahead of time. and they're taking something that exists in one space and trying to apply it to something that, to me, is not applicable to, and then saying you're un-American, which, ironically, it's all about free speech, so isn't that as American as it gets?
00:13:22
Speaker 1: I don't know. This is a difficult role. We are not at all.
00:13:25
Speaker 2: We would never step into that issue politically and say one side is right or wrong.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: This is not about that. Robe, it's just this felt....
00:13:36
Speaker 2: What should he, what does someone have the right to do? And when they say, where's the thing here about some of those, about a fine line, troubling with the message, how the political views, the line should be drawn.
00:13:50
Speaker 1: The line should be drawn. In a concert? Where is it? I don't know.
00:13:58
Speaker 2: If someone, if he got up there and said everything they liked. Obviously, they wouldn't say anything, but would they still stand by the position that, you know what, this isn't the right place to say that?
00:14:10
Speaker 3: I don't think thatâ look, and this has nothing to do with views on anything. I just think from a general idea, to have a group tell another group where they can say what they want to sayâ seems inherently wrong and.
00:14:24
Speaker 2: How you should say it we disagree with what you said so therefore what you said is wrong how you said it is wrong the context is wrong and it's un-american because you have a song that supported some kids who were protesting and that protest had vandalism which is against american vow it went into a whole thing and again this is this is we are so scared to speak Be a part of any discourse like this, Rhodes, because you'll be taken as anti- American. American or against Israel, which then turns into a whole other thing.
00:14:59
Speaker 4: Or anti-Semitic, yes.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: Rhodes, that's not at all.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: And I don't know, I'm not supporting his message, but at what point do you support somebody's right to have that feeling and to express it? He's a Grammy winner. That means he has a platform.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: He wants to use it.
00:15:15
Speaker 2: I can listen to him or not. Or listen to him and then go do my own research and say, oh, everything he said was bullshit.
00:15:22
Speaker 1: I just, something feel right there.
00:15:25
Speaker 4: Exactly.
00:15:26
Speaker 3: I mean, look, Bruce Springsteen is very outspoken and says what he wants to say and sings what he wants to sing. Bad Bunny, also taken to task for political views. But at a certain point, artists.
00:15:39
Speaker 4: when they do.
00:15:40
Speaker 3: Have platforms, might feel a responsibility to stand up for the people or the issues that they deem important to them.
00:15:47
Speaker 4: And it's individual.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: But we're being told you can only say one thing on this issue. And if the thing you say isn't, I fully support Israel.
00:15:57
Speaker 4: You have to give equal time. That's a bizarre request. And not even a request. It sounded like a demand.
00:16:04
Speaker 1: And it's just not a matter of, this wasn't a political, I'm not, we are not stepping into the politics of this.
00:16:11
Speaker 3: No.
00:16:11
Speaker 1: Folks, at all. It's just.
00:16:13
Speaker 4: The idea of it.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: The idea of it. But stay here. We're going to let you hear from their message directly, I guess, right?
00:16:22
Speaker 4: To Ed Sheeran.
00:16:23
Speaker 1: To Ed Sheeran. We'll let you hear that. And we'll let you hear the rest of what Macklemore said and let you be the judge.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ. We want to continue and let you hear the rest of what Macklemore at least said as a part of what he said that night. And, you know, take it for... You know what? I'm not going to put any judgment on it. Let folks hear it for themselves.
00:16:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, we can hear what Macklemore said, and then we'll hear exactly what the Israeli-American Council said directly to Ed Sheeran.
00:17:00
Speaker 4: So Macklemore, and look, this is cool. He said, I have an 11-year-old daughter. Her name is Sloan. She's here tonight.
00:17:07
Speaker 3: And if any of you guys are parents, then you know that that love that you have for your kids cannot be put into words, right?
00:17:15
Speaker 4: I want to see her grow up.
00:17:17
Speaker 3: I want to see her go to school, to fall in love, to figure out meaning, purpose, joy, her existence.
00:17:23
Speaker 4: On this planet.
00:17:24
Speaker 3: I want it to be the most beautiful possible. And I think that every single human being that walks this earth deserves that exact same feeling to know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs, for parents to be able to say bye to their kids in the morning and and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time they kiss their child goodbye.
00:17:48
Speaker 4: And if I let that fear.
00:17:50
Speaker 3: Stop me from speaking my heart in order to keep my own comfort and the audience's comfort, that is the day I no longer continue to be on stage.
00:17:59
Speaker 4: So I say, free Palestine.
00:18:02
Speaker 2: Take it for what you will, right, Robes? I mean, take it for what you will, but there is a... I guess what's in there is if you're defending the children of.
00:18:12
Speaker 2: Palestine, in the Gaza Strip, in the West. If you're defending those kids, that means you're criticizing Israel. Is that just the key to it?
00:18:21
Speaker 3: Yes. Right? Yes.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:18:24
Speaker 2: But I mean, he's making a point. Every parent can relate to what he's... Yes. Don't we want every child, whether they're in Gaza or in Tel Aviv or.
00:18:32
Speaker 1: In Little Rock or in New Orleans or.
00:18:34
Speaker 4: Or in Iran.
00:18:35
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter where.
00:18:36
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:36
Speaker 2: Every parent wants that for their child and... I just hate the heat has to come, Rose, and there's nothing you can do.
00:18:44
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: Nothing you can do.
00:18:45
Speaker 4: And so, yes, the.
00:18:48
Speaker 3: Israeli-American Council, in their petition, directly then spoke to Ed Sheeran.
00:18:55
Speaker 4: So they went on to say this after Macklemore's performance.
00:18:58
Speaker 3: We call on Ed Sheeran, tour leadership, and the leadership of all venues hosting the tour. to remove McLemore from the remaining loop tour dates on which he is scheduled to appear.
00:19:13
Speaker 4: We also call on tour.
00:19:15
Speaker 3: Leadership to clarify whether McLemore's political speech, visual content, and performance of Heinz Hall were approved in advance and to establish clear boundaries for the use of the tour stage to promote political messaging. Freedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility. Your show, your stage, your responsibility. Keep Ed Sheeran's loop tour about music, not political propaganda. Look, music has always had political messages. Music has always had a deeper meaning. It's not just about bebopping to fun, silly songs. A lot of artists have had political messaging throughout their music.
00:19:57
Speaker 4: That is part of what music is an outlet. It's an artistic expression. And we, yes, it unites sometimes, sometimes it divides.
00:20:05
Speaker 3: But to be able to say that they're actually now putting pressure on not only on Ed Sheeran, but on the venues.
00:20:12
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah.
00:20:12
Speaker 4: That actually was kind of disturbing.
00:20:14
Speaker 3: They're trying to silence someone by putting pressure on venues.
00:20:20
Speaker 1: This is what we're doing now.
00:20:22
Speaker 4: That is a whole other level.
00:20:23
Speaker 2: He should not... Where can he have his... He should not be allowed to speak. That's what they're saying. Because we don't like his message, or we disagree with it, or we think it's out of context.
00:20:35
Speaker 1: All of that is okay. All of that is called debate and discourse. And it should be healthy. I don't know.
00:20:42
Speaker 2: So, yes, they're putting it. Now they're calling on, what did you say, Ed Sheeran, the tour leadership. So you put his name.
00:20:49
Speaker 4: And the venues.
00:20:49
Speaker 2: Now you're putting pressure on him, one of the biggest superstars in the world.
00:20:55
Speaker 1: They're going after him. So that means he is in support or he's anti-Israel if he doesn't kick this guy off his tour?
00:21:02
Speaker 3: I mean, that is what they're trying to, I guess, at least suggest or... There's some fear in there. There's definitely, if you don't, dot.
00:21:15
Speaker 1: Dot, dot.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: So does that count for Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where he's playing next? Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where he's doing two shows? Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta? All you all, on notice now, we are calling on you to what was the line? Do they really want them to cancel the guy?
00:21:35
Speaker 4: They do.
00:21:35
Speaker 1: Remove him.
00:21:36
Speaker 4: They want to remove him from the tour.
00:21:39
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: We'll see how this goes.
00:21:42
Speaker 4: It's unfortunate.
00:21:43
Speaker 1: We never have a conversation.
00:21:44
Speaker 2: There was something they could have said that sparked a conversation. We understand he has these views. We'd love to be able to talk to him and express why we think this. Or he has a right to do this. However, we take issue with blank, blank, and blank.
00:21:58
Speaker 1: You know what?
00:21:58
Speaker 2: We love this song, but man, we really wish he would blank, blank. There's just a way before we just immediately, Robes, I don't want to see the American flag burned.
00:22:09
Speaker 1: It gives me no joy. But man, what a beautiful country that you have the right to do that here. Yep.
00:22:15
Speaker 4: Agreed.
00:22:16
Speaker 3: That is what makes an American. And so to say it's anti-American.
00:22:21
Speaker 1: To express your views.
00:22:23
Speaker 3: That makes no sense to me. That flies in the face of what it is to be American. We don't have to like it. We don't have to agree with it. But we have to have space for it. As long as you're not inciting violence. And look, if It seems as though Macklemore is trying to do the opposite. He's asking for no more violence.
00:22:45
Speaker 2: Well, we haven't got an official, as of this recording, yes, we are doing this on Labor Day this morning, so we haven't got an official response from Macklemore, haven't got an official response from Ed Sheeran. The next show is not until, I think it's in Philly, in about a week, a little over.
00:23:02
Speaker 3: A week, so.
00:23:03
Speaker 4: We shall see.
00:23:04
Speaker 1: We shall see, folks.
00:23:05
Speaker 2: But just wanted to put this one on your radar. As always, we appreciate you spending a little time with us.
00:23:08
Speaker 1: I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Monday, September 7th.
00:00:04
Speaker 2: Yes, Labor Day. And Robach and I were at a concert over the weekend, and we didn't realize it was controversial. Because one of the artists, well, one group is demanding that Ed Sheeran kick his headliner off his tour. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ Robes. We are talking about, it's not new that this artist... has gotten in trouble with some things he said having to do with.
00:00:35
Speaker 1: Palestine. And he did it again over the weekend and did it twice.
00:00:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's intentional for sure.
00:00:41
Speaker 4: We're talking about Macklemore.
00:00:43
Speaker 3: He is one of the opening acts for Ed Sheeran and he has been an outspoken and wrote, has even written a song about freeing Palestine. He has not been shy about it and he makes it, A part of his artistry.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: Yeah. This isn't new stuff that he would make such a comment. It's cost him opportunities in the past.
00:01:05
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:01:05
Speaker 1: No surprise. Ed Sheeran, it doesn't get.
00:01:09
Speaker 2: Much bigger than Ed Sheeran when it comes to music in this country over the past decade. This guy has been a hit maker and one of the most popular artists going and one of the most popular artists streaming.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: You name it. He's a big international deal. Yes.
00:01:22
Speaker 4: And you know what?
00:01:24
Speaker 3: Being at his concert, you really see he pulls in folks from all different walks of life, different ages. We saw young kids. We saw older people. We saw every color in the rainbow, men and women. I mean, more women than men, probably. But still, I was impressed. There wasn't... Like, we were wondering, who are his fans? Like, what type of people? And it really looked like all people. It was really cool.
00:01:50
Speaker 1: A lot of them are guys who don't like to dance, apparently.
00:01:53
Speaker 4: Or who can't dance.
00:01:54
Speaker 1: This was the.
00:01:55
Speaker 2: Funny part at the concert. Yes, there were a bunch of guys. It looked like a lot of guys were there because they brought their wives and their daughters.
00:02:00
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:02:01
Speaker 2: There were a lot of young girls, and we saw that dynamic play out a lot. And a lot of the guys in the concert, they were standing up, yes, next to a woman or girls, and the girls are jamming and The guys standing there with their arms folded like they didn't even know many of the songs.
00:02:13
Speaker 3: And that was for the best, because if those guys had tried to dance, it would have really.
00:02:17
Speaker 4: Taken away from the music.
00:02:18
Speaker 3: I'm sorry.
00:02:19
Speaker 4: I think that was just a public service that they were providing.
00:02:22
Speaker 2: So here I am front and center, dancing my butt off to every song. I love this guy. Absolutely love Ed Sheeran. So we're at the concert, but Macklemore rose. And the reason Ed Sheeran is important, because if Macklemore had said this at one of his shows, I don't think we would hear a thing about it.
00:02:36
Speaker 3: Because that would have been expected. And his tour, his stage, his platform. So yeah, if you don't like it, don't go to the concert.
00:02:46
Speaker 2: So here is the thing, Robes. It appears now that Ed Sheeran, the name he has, folks are taking... Robes, you mentioned Ed Sheeran. We are calling on Ed Sheeran to kick Macklemore off his tour.
00:03:00
Speaker 1: That elevates it, does it not?
00:03:01
Speaker 4: It does. But look, here's the deal. I think we know Ed Sheeran.
00:03:05
Speaker 3: is very well aware of Macklemore's feelings, Macklemore's music, and the fact that this is what Macklemore does when he gets on stage. And he knew that when he agreed to, signed him up to be a part of his tour.
00:03:19
Speaker 2: And this tour has been going all year. It will continue through the end of the year. Will Macklemore continue? So, folks, he came on the scene with Thrift Shop. Still, that song was hilarious.
00:03:30
Speaker 1: It was cool. It was innovative. It was fun.
00:03:33
Speaker 2: That's what put him on the map, but he's had plenty of hits since. But Robes, yes, the last couple of years he has taken up some political stances, and he has let his view be known. He's on stage, how he feels about free Palestine. He's said that plenty on stage. Now, this is what he said. We'll give you the first part that got attention. Robes and some concertgoers made note of it, and now we have one of the most influential nonprofit American-Israeli organizations in the country calling on him. To be kicked off the tour, but this will give a preview. There's a longer part, but this is the part that people are pointing to.
00:04:06
Speaker 4: Yes, Macklemore said this on stage.
00:04:08
Speaker 3: A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart.
00:04:20
Speaker 4: Free Palestine. I said free Palestine.
00:04:25
Speaker 3: I want those words to be loud and clear so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.
00:04:34
Speaker 1: Uh-oh.
00:04:35
Speaker 2: So this was accompanied, apparently, Robes, by art. There was a huge, there was a massive screen up, and the artists who were performing, Ed Sheeran in particular, we saw his whole show, video up there. It's all fully coordinated.
00:04:50
Speaker 3: It's really cool.
00:04:51
Speaker 1: It is awesome.
00:04:52
Speaker 3: So.
00:04:53
Speaker 2: There's no way to suggest robes. There was art that went with this. There were videos that went with this. He wasn't just ad-libbing and doing this.
00:05:01
Speaker 1: Off the cuff.
00:05:02
Speaker 3: Yes, this was not something he chose to do in a moment's notice.
00:05:06
Speaker 4: This was planned. This was produced.
00:05:09
Speaker 3: And now I think at this point it should be expected. And he didn't just do it Friday night. He did it Friday and Saturday night. This was a part of his performance.
00:05:18
Speaker 2: And he performed in particular robes. One song that's been out for a couple of years. This is essentially his protest song that he did years ago when a lot of the student protests were going on on college campuses.
00:05:28
Speaker 4: That's right. It's called Heinz Hall.
00:05:30
Speaker 3: And if you remember at Columbia University, Hamilton Hall was renamed during the student protest to Heinz Hall, all in honor of a five-year-old who was killed in Gaza. Heinz Rajab was the name.
00:05:46
Speaker 4: And this was... Yeah, it's an anthem. It's a protest song.
00:05:50
Speaker 2: But yeah, that was temporary. It was a protest, the thing they did on campus. So he has this song that's out there. So... We, actually to go back, we missed Macklemore. So we were supposed to be there to see Macklemore. This was all part, I'll say thank you again, Robes. The Christmas gift finally paid off eight months later.
00:06:12
Speaker 1: Or is it nine months?
00:06:13
Speaker 2: But yes, Robes is a big proponent of giving experiences.
00:06:18
Speaker 3: Yes, yes.
00:06:19
Speaker 4: And so I knew that you loved Ed Sheeran. In fact, I would say... One of our songs is an Ed Sheeran song for sure.
00:06:27
Speaker 3: We've even considered immortalizing it.
00:06:31
Speaker 4: But yes. So Ed Sheeran is near and dear to us.
00:06:34
Speaker 3: So I was trying to find a fun experience gift for you at Christmas and I saw Ed.
00:06:38
Speaker 4: Sheeran was playing and I was like, oh, not until Labor Day weekend. You know what?
00:06:43
Speaker 3: It'll be something to anticipate and look forward to. So, yes, we finally got to go. The problem is neither one of us had ever schlepped our way over to MetLife Stadium.
00:06:53
Speaker 4: And for folks who don't know the geography here in New York, we're in Manhattan.
00:06:57
Speaker 3: MetLife Stadium is just across the Hudson.
00:07:01
Speaker 4: It's just across the Hudson.
00:07:02
Speaker 3: I mean, I have to look it up, but I think it's probably 10 miles or less from our home, from our apartment.
00:07:09
Speaker 4: It is a absolute nightmare trying to get over there. So I looked. I was like, you know what? This is a Christmas gift. We should go full black car, like just really do it up. Let's do it. So I go and I get a quote.
00:07:22
Speaker 3: And you know the quotes are always way lower than what they actually end up being. Before tip, before probably all the surcharges that they try to put on there and taxes and you name it, congestion charge. Anyway, we were at $ 875. They won't let you do a one-way back or you have to do a round trip. And I was like, okay, so $ 1, 000 for a car. Oof. And then you start looking at the drive time. And people are saying it can take two and a half hours because of traffic. And we had a friend confirm it was a five-hour round trip the last time he went to MetLife Stadium. So price and time ruled out. Let's just take some mass transit. Didn't realize it was going to be three separate trains. So I estimated about an hour I thought I would give us to get there.
00:08:09
Speaker 4: Hour and a half. What did it take? We missed Macklemore, bottom line.
00:08:14
Speaker 3: We did try to get there in time, and we got there right when Ed Sheeran was taking the stage.
00:08:19
Speaker 2: And it's fair to say when you initially bought the tickets for Christmas, did we know Macklemore was a headliner?
00:08:24
Speaker 4: No, I did not know.
00:08:25
Speaker 1: So I am a pretty big Macklemore fan.
00:08:28
Speaker 4: I know you are.
00:08:29
Speaker 2: I've liked his songs over the years. I have a great story I'll tell you later I think you know about. I was at a Macklemore concert like an hour and a half before I had to be live on GMA in Vegas. I love the guy. I love, love, love his music. So I was looking forward to it. We wanted to see him. We made the whole plan. We don't usually watch a lot of headliners, but this one we'll go see.
00:08:55
Speaker 1: We tried. So little did we know what we were missing, Robes. Right?
00:09:00
Speaker 4: If we had known that we were doing a podcast on it on Monday, we would have left even earlier.
00:09:04
Speaker 3: We left at 6, and I think we got there at 8.
00:09:07
Speaker 4: I really do think it took us two hours.
00:09:10
Speaker 2: And by the time, Robes, it timed out. We were walking to the seat with a drink in our hand. Here comes Ed.
00:09:18
Speaker 3: Yep.
00:09:18
Speaker 4: I mean, we timed it out perfectly. To see Ed Sheeran.
00:09:21
Speaker 1: Yes.
00:09:21
Speaker 4: We did not time it out perfectly to see Macklemore.
00:09:24
Speaker 2: So we missed Macklemore, and I didn't hear anything about it that night. Nobody was buzzing necessarily. We went on Saturday night. He had already done this on Friday. He did it on Saturday as well. But then the Israeli-American Council got word of it robed. And this is, if folks don't know, this is, I do believe, the largest nonprofit American-Israeli organization in the country.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:09:44
Speaker 2: They are incredibly influential. So we're going to go through, and they have a petition up. but they want Ed Sheeran in robes. They're directing this toward Ed Sheeran, not McLemore.
00:09:58
Speaker 4: Okay, here is the petition.
00:09:59
Speaker 3: At Ed Sheeran's September 4th concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, opening act McLemore used the stage to deliver an extended political message called for free Palestine and performed Heinz Hall while images from Gaza and other political messaging were projected across stadium screens.
00:10:19
Speaker 4: This was an Ed.
00:10:20
Speaker 3: Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.
00:10:27
Speaker 1: Can I stop there for a second?
00:10:28
Speaker 2: Is that the suggestion that unless this is a particular type of thing, you shouldn't speak your mind?
00:10:33
Speaker 3: I didn't realize that that was something that was a known, like that that should be something that is expected.
00:10:39
Speaker 1: But go with Oscars, Emmys, Grammy. I mean, people make statements all the time at non-political events.
00:10:46
Speaker 4: Isn't that called free speech?
00:10:48
Speaker 2: But is this a suggestion? Am I reading that right? This is a concert, so shut up.
00:10:53
Speaker 4: That is what it seems to be saying.
00:10:55
Speaker 1: It's fine if you have that view, but please continue.
00:10:57
Speaker 4: It goes on.
00:10:58
Speaker 3: The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda. This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact without context or complexity. The decision to perform Heinz Hall was not incidental. This song, or the song, was written in explicit support of the campus protest movement and takes its name from Heinz Hall, the name protesters gave Columbia University's Hamilton Hall after occupying the building.
00:11:41
Speaker 4: Some of those.
00:11:42
Speaker 3: Protests involved trespassing, building occupations, vandalism, disruption of university operations, and violations of the law, conduct that stands in direct conflict with core American values, including the rule of law, open discourse, respect for institutions, and shared civic space.
00:12:02
Speaker 1: All right. I don't know, baby.
00:12:05
Speaker 4: Look, they don't like what he said.
00:12:07
Speaker 1: They don't like what he said.
00:12:08
Speaker 4: They don't like what he said.
00:12:09
Speaker 1: Which is fine, right?
00:12:10
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:12:12
Speaker 2: They didn't respond to what he said. It felt like we're taking issue with him having a platform to say it. And we didn't get to respond in front of the same audience with the same number of people paying attention to us.
00:12:29
Speaker 1: I didn't see it. To go into that part, Robes, where you're un-American now.
00:12:36
Speaker 4: Well, so that's exactly what I was about to say.
00:12:39
Speaker 1: Now you're un-American.
00:12:40
Speaker 4: They are literally using the.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: Ironically, his right to free speech. I mean, they're acting as if they should get equal time, like he's.
00:12:50
Speaker 4: A broadcaster, like he has a broadcasting license. They're applying something that.
00:12:56
Speaker 3: Would absolutely be fair to say if you're talking about a television show using national airwaves, this is a private concert that people pay money for and they know who they're going to see ahead of time. and they're taking something that exists in one space and trying to apply it to something that, to me, is not applicable to, and then saying you're un-American, which, ironically, it's all about free speech, so isn't that as American as it gets?
00:13:22
Speaker 1: I don't know. This is a difficult role. We are not at all.
00:13:25
Speaker 2: We would never step into that issue politically and say one side is right or wrong.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: This is not about that. Robe, it's just this felt....
00:13:36
Speaker 2: What should he, what does someone have the right to do? And when they say, where's the thing here about some of those, about a fine line, troubling with the message, how the political views, the line should be drawn.
00:13:50
Speaker 1: The line should be drawn. In a concert? Where is it? I don't know.
00:13:58
Speaker 2: If someone, if he got up there and said everything they liked. Obviously, they wouldn't say anything, but would they still stand by the position that, you know what, this isn't the right place to say that?
00:14:10
Speaker 3: I don't think thatâ look, and this has nothing to do with views on anything. I just think from a general idea, to have a group tell another group where they can say what they want to sayâ seems inherently wrong and.
00:14:24
Speaker 2: How you should say it we disagree with what you said so therefore what you said is wrong how you said it is wrong the context is wrong and it's un-american because you have a song that supported some kids who were protesting and that protest had vandalism which is against american vow it went into a whole thing and again this is this is we are so scared to speak Be a part of any discourse like this, Rhodes, because you'll be taken as anti- American. American or against Israel, which then turns into a whole other thing.
00:14:59
Speaker 4: Or anti-Semitic, yes.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: Rhodes, that's not at all.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: And I don't know, I'm not supporting his message, but at what point do you support somebody's right to have that feeling and to express it? He's a Grammy winner. That means he has a platform.
00:15:14
Speaker 1: He wants to use it.
00:15:15
Speaker 2: I can listen to him or not. Or listen to him and then go do my own research and say, oh, everything he said was bullshit.
00:15:22
Speaker 1: I just, something feel right there.
00:15:25
Speaker 4: Exactly.
00:15:26
Speaker 3: I mean, look, Bruce Springsteen is very outspoken and says what he wants to say and sings what he wants to sing. Bad Bunny, also taken to task for political views. But at a certain point, artists.
00:15:39
Speaker 4: when they do.
00:15:40
Speaker 3: Have platforms, might feel a responsibility to stand up for the people or the issues that they deem important to them.
00:15:47
Speaker 4: And it's individual.
00:15:48
Speaker 2: But we're being told you can only say one thing on this issue. And if the thing you say isn't, I fully support Israel.
00:15:57
Speaker 4: You have to give equal time. That's a bizarre request. And not even a request. It sounded like a demand.
00:16:04
Speaker 1: And it's just not a matter of, this wasn't a political, I'm not, we are not stepping into the politics of this.
00:16:11
Speaker 3: No.
00:16:11
Speaker 1: Folks, at all. It's just.
00:16:13
Speaker 4: The idea of it.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: The idea of it. But stay here. We're going to let you hear from their message directly, I guess, right?
00:16:22
Speaker 4: To Ed Sheeran.
00:16:23
Speaker 1: To Ed Sheeran. We'll let you hear that. And we'll let you hear the rest of what Macklemore said and let you be the judge.
00:16:38
Speaker 2: All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ. We want to continue and let you hear the rest of what Macklemore at least said as a part of what he said that night. And, you know, take it for... You know what? I'm not going to put any judgment on it. Let folks hear it for themselves.
00:16:53
Speaker 3: Yeah, we can hear what Macklemore said, and then we'll hear exactly what the Israeli-American Council said directly to Ed Sheeran.
00:17:00
Speaker 4: So Macklemore, and look, this is cool. He said, I have an 11-year-old daughter. Her name is Sloan. She's here tonight.
00:17:07
Speaker 3: And if any of you guys are parents, then you know that that love that you have for your kids cannot be put into words, right?
00:17:15
Speaker 4: I want to see her grow up.
00:17:17
Speaker 3: I want to see her go to school, to fall in love, to figure out meaning, purpose, joy, her existence.
00:17:23
Speaker 4: On this planet.
00:17:24
Speaker 3: I want it to be the most beautiful possible. And I think that every single human being that walks this earth deserves that exact same feeling to know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs, for parents to be able to say bye to their kids in the morning and and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time they kiss their child goodbye.
00:17:48
Speaker 4: And if I let that fear.
00:17:50
Speaker 3: Stop me from speaking my heart in order to keep my own comfort and the audience's comfort, that is the day I no longer continue to be on stage.
00:17:59
Speaker 4: So I say, free Palestine.
00:18:02
Speaker 2: Take it for what you will, right, Robes? I mean, take it for what you will, but there is a... I guess what's in there is if you're defending the children of.
00:18:12
Speaker 2: Palestine, in the Gaza Strip, in the West. If you're defending those kids, that means you're criticizing Israel. Is that just the key to it?
00:18:21
Speaker 3: Yes. Right? Yes.
00:18:22
Speaker 1: Okay.
00:18:24
Speaker 2: But I mean, he's making a point. Every parent can relate to what he's... Yes. Don't we want every child, whether they're in Gaza or in Tel Aviv or.
00:18:32
Speaker 1: In Little Rock or in New Orleans or.
00:18:34
Speaker 4: Or in Iran.
00:18:35
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter where.
00:18:36
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:36
Speaker 2: Every parent wants that for their child and... I just hate the heat has to come, Rose, and there's nothing you can do.
00:18:44
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:18:44
Speaker 1: Nothing you can do.
00:18:45
Speaker 4: And so, yes, the.
00:18:48
Speaker 3: Israeli-American Council, in their petition, directly then spoke to Ed Sheeran.
00:18:55
Speaker 4: So they went on to say this after Macklemore's performance.
00:18:58
Speaker 3: We call on Ed Sheeran, tour leadership, and the leadership of all venues hosting the tour. to remove McLemore from the remaining loop tour dates on which he is scheduled to appear.
00:19:13
Speaker 4: We also call on tour.
00:19:15
Speaker 3: Leadership to clarify whether McLemore's political speech, visual content, and performance of Heinz Hall were approved in advance and to establish clear boundaries for the use of the tour stage to promote political messaging. Freedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility. Your show, your stage, your responsibility. Keep Ed Sheeran's loop tour about music, not political propaganda. Look, music has always had political messages. Music has always had a deeper meaning. It's not just about bebopping to fun, silly songs. A lot of artists have had political messaging throughout their music.
00:19:57
Speaker 4: That is part of what music is an outlet. It's an artistic expression. And we, yes, it unites sometimes, sometimes it divides.
00:20:05
Speaker 3: But to be able to say that they're actually now putting pressure on not only on Ed Sheeran, but on the venues.
00:20:12
Speaker 1: Oh, yeah.
00:20:12
Speaker 4: That actually was kind of disturbing.
00:20:14
Speaker 3: They're trying to silence someone by putting pressure on venues.
00:20:20
Speaker 1: This is what we're doing now.
00:20:22
Speaker 4: That is a whole other level.
00:20:23
Speaker 2: He should not... Where can he have his... He should not be allowed to speak. That's what they're saying. Because we don't like his message, or we disagree with it, or we think it's out of context.
00:20:35
Speaker 1: All of that is okay. All of that is called debate and discourse. And it should be healthy. I don't know.
00:20:42
Speaker 2: So, yes, they're putting it. Now they're calling on, what did you say, Ed Sheeran, the tour leadership. So you put his name.
00:20:49
Speaker 4: And the venues.
00:20:49
Speaker 2: Now you're putting pressure on him, one of the biggest superstars in the world.
00:20:55
Speaker 1: They're going after him. So that means he is in support or he's anti-Israel if he doesn't kick this guy off his tour?
00:21:02
Speaker 3: I mean, that is what they're trying to, I guess, at least suggest or... There's some fear in there. There's definitely, if you don't, dot.
00:21:15
Speaker 1: Dot, dot.
00:21:16
Speaker 2: So does that count for Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where he's playing next? Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, where he's doing two shows? Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta? All you all, on notice now, we are calling on you to what was the line? Do they really want them to cancel the guy?
00:21:35
Speaker 4: They do.
00:21:35
Speaker 1: Remove him.
00:21:36
Speaker 4: They want to remove him from the tour.
00:21:39
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: We'll see how this goes.
00:21:42
Speaker 4: It's unfortunate.
00:21:43
Speaker 1: We never have a conversation.
00:21:44
Speaker 2: There was something they could have said that sparked a conversation. We understand he has these views. We'd love to be able to talk to him and express why we think this. Or he has a right to do this. However, we take issue with blank, blank, and blank.
00:21:58
Speaker 1: You know what?
00:21:58
Speaker 2: We love this song, but man, we really wish he would blank, blank. There's just a way before we just immediately, Robes, I don't want to see the American flag burned.
00:22:09
Speaker 1: It gives me no joy. But man, what a beautiful country that you have the right to do that here. Yep.
00:22:15
Speaker 4: Agreed.
00:22:16
Speaker 3: That is what makes an American. And so to say it's anti-American.
00:22:21
Speaker 1: To express your views.
00:22:23
Speaker 3: That makes no sense to me. That flies in the face of what it is to be American. We don't have to like it. We don't have to agree with it. But we have to have space for it. As long as you're not inciting violence. And look, if It seems as though Macklemore is trying to do the opposite. He's asking for no more violence.
00:22:45
Speaker 2: Well, we haven't got an official, as of this recording, yes, we are doing this on Labor Day this morning, so we haven't got an official response from Macklemore, haven't got an official response from Ed Sheeran. The next show is not until, I think it's in Philly, in about a week, a little over.
00:23:02
Speaker 3: A week, so.
00:23:03
Speaker 4: We shall see.
00:23:04
Speaker 1: We shall see, folks.
00:23:05
Speaker 2: But just wanted to put this one on your radar. As always, we appreciate you spending a little time with us.
00:23:08
Speaker 1: I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll talk to you soon.