Sept. 17, 2026
UPDATE On “Kraft Mack & Sheeran”: Robert Kraft “Responds” To Macklemore’s Million Dollar Challenge
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Castro 
RSS Feed We get you caught up on all of the Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Robert Kraft back and forth after Macklemore publicly challenged New England Patriot Owner Robert Kraft to match his $1 million donation to organizations supporting Palestinians, Kraft issued a vague statement talking about building bridges between all people. Kraft acknowledged the challenge and added that Ed Sheeran asked him to match a $2 million dollar donation for aid to the region, but never specified if he was going to write either check. Kraft is said to have led the boycott that removed Macklemore off of Sheeran’s tour, over his “Free Palestine” speech during his opening set at Met Life Stadium earlier this month.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. Last Christmas, yes, December 2025, I got a very special Christmas gift from my dear Amy Robach. That gift was tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert the first weekend of September. Who knew? And with that, everybody, welcome.
00:00:25
Speaker 2: It's the gift that keeps on giving.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: And it keeps giving and giving and giving. I'm not sure who it's given to. I'm not sure who it's taken from. This story is wild, and the thought that in December of last year you gave me a gift that's now turned into what that concert weekend turned into.
00:00:45
Speaker 3: Turned into Macklemore's first and last opening acts with Ed Sheeran is what that turned into, and then a whole lot of backlash and a war of words, and... Yeah, the country's divided again over an Ed Sheeran concert. Never would have predicted that in a million years.
00:01:05
Speaker 1: Ed Sheeran just doesn't step in it. I mean, he messed with the Marvin Gaye estate for a little while. Upset about that tune.
00:01:11
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
00:01:13
Speaker 1: But the man stays out of trouble. He stays out of controversy.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Staying out of it is now getting him into more controversy.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: That is the thing. Being so... Neutral has now put him on a side, has now gotten him enemies almost on both sides. This is an incredible story. I think most, maybe by this point, Robes, are familiar with what's going on. Now, as of this recording, we are recording this after Macklemore has been kicked off Ed Sheeran's tour, but before the next scheduled Ed Sheeran performance. which is going to be Lincoln Field in Philadelphia. Robes. What might that look like?
00:01:55
Speaker 2: We have no idea.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, I really don't.
00:01:56
Speaker 3: Every single opening act of Ed Sheeran, all four have said bye-bye. So he has no, as far as we know, he has no musical guests leading up to his performance. I don't know how that's going to work here in MetLife when we had tickets. I guess the stadium opened at 5.30. Ed Sheeran was slated to hit the stage around 8.30.
00:02:19
Speaker 2: Three hours.
00:02:21
Speaker 3: And when you pay these very high prices to see these major artists, you expect a big show. And that includes some of the preludes, some of the acts that come before. You get excited about either hearing new artists or a specific artist.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: We were excited about Macklemore.
00:02:38
Speaker 3: We've talked about how the New Jersey transit system completely screwed us into.
00:02:42
Speaker 1: Actually seeing him. When did we find out that Macklemore was opening?
00:02:45
Speaker 2: The day of. I think I Googled, like, oh, wait, who's opening for Ed Sheeran? I didn't even look.
00:02:51
Speaker 3: And we got excited because Lucas Graham we love and then Macklemore. And so we were trying to figure out our day of work and how soon we could get from our apartment here in Manhattan, lower Manhattan, to MetLife, which, by the way, is seven miles away.
00:03:04
Speaker 1: 7.8 from this seat right here. 7.8 miles. Wherever you are in the country, think if something is 7.8 miles away from you, how long does it take you to get there?
00:03:16
Speaker 2: 10 minutes, maybe.
00:03:17
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:03:17
Speaker 2: Even in heavy traffic. Maybe 15.
00:03:20
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:03:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, we were two hours and counting and didn't even make it. And that wasn't on the roads because on the roads, getting out with the Lincoln Tunnel, et cetera, Holland Tunnel, however you wanted to get over, it was going to be at least an hour to that.
00:03:34
Speaker 2: So, yeah, sadly, with every intention of seeing Macklemore.
00:03:38
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: We missed him, and wow, we apparently missed quite the show.
00:03:42
Speaker 1: It is so funny, the circumstances of this and how it all pieced together and what our day and our night was and how it all had to fall into place for us to miss him exactly. But yes, it was that concert, that weekend. He did it back-to-back shows, says something about free Palestine, has some imagery up. Some people took issue immediately. with it. Um, the issue they took with it, obviously, Robes, is that it was one-sided. The, uh, what, Israeli-American Council, very influential group, uh, here in the U.S., came out and said, Ed Sheeran, promoters, venues, you need to kick Macklemore off your tour. And Robes, what was the point that we thought, okay, he's, he's probably in trouble? Um, It might have been when they put that out. Rose, when they started talking about venues.
00:04:31
Speaker 2: When they started, yes.
00:04:32
Speaker 3: To me, that's when I thought, oh, they know what they're doing. They're not just calling on Ed Sheeran or calling on Macklemore to amend his statements or to talk about Hamas and to give the full context of free Palestine. No, they went directly to absolutely, I would say, demanding for his removal. And they were calling on specifically Hamas.
00:04:55
Speaker 2: The venues.
00:04:56
Speaker 3: And that's when I thought, oh, wow, think about this is a powerful, it is the largest and most powerful Israeli organization in this country, nonprofit. And I just thought when you've got voices that are that influential, that are that loud, calling on owners, this is done.
00:05:13
Speaker 2: And McLemore is done. And what Ed Sheeran was going to do next, unclear.
00:05:19
Speaker 1: And it looked like this was on Ed Sheeran. We were waiting on him to make a move. Robes, we heard from, who was the next person we heard from? You know what? I guess it was Macklemore. We heard that he was getting kicked off the tour. He put out a long statement, Robes, and he explained that it wasn't Ed Sheeran, but it was Robert Kraft. Here we go. This is where the story, where are we going here? Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, who also runs Gillette Stadium in Boston, where Ed Sheeran has a show later this month, said he called up Ed and says, if that dude is on your lineup, You cannot have your concert here, and I will encourage other stadiums to do the same.
00:06:07
Speaker 3: He orchestrated a boycott among stadium owners to say if Macklemore is on the list, if he is opening for Ed Sheeran, our stadium will not participate in your tour.
00:06:16
Speaker 1: Okay, so there you go. What's Ed Sheeran supposed to do? And sure enough, word is Macklemore gets kicked off. That's the word we get. So Macklemore puts out a long statement explaining what happens, that he had no ill will against Ed Sheeran, had to do what he had to do. Robes? What happened next? I did not see coming.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Every single opening act then released their own statements in solidarity with Macklemore. Many of them saying free Palestine. Two of the acts were from Ireland. And Ireland obviously has a steep history in oppression, in being oppressed. And take issue with many of the folks from Ireland are very much in Palestine's corner. And so they made bold statements. Free Palestine, we stand with Macklemore, and they say, we're giving up money, we're giving up opportunity, we're giving up a dream tour, because we cannot sit by and watch people who have money, people who have power, determine what can and cannot be said by an artist. Free speech and free Palestine. Those were the continuing themes throughout each statement.
00:07:30
Speaker 1: And one of those robes, opening acts.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: Is what many believe one of the powerhouse creators behind one of the biggest superstars on the planet, Billie Eilish's brother.
00:07:43
Speaker 3: Billie Eilish's brother, Phineas, was set to join Ed Sheeran in his South American tour.
00:07:48
Speaker 2: So quite a few concerts, and he was going to be a big draw to the tour.
00:07:54
Speaker 3: And he put out this statement, short and sweet, artists must not be silenced, When they speak up for the oppressed, I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.
00:08:07
Speaker 1: Boom. What was the... You have Lucas Grahams in there?
00:08:10
Speaker 2: I do have Lucas Grahams.
00:08:12
Speaker 3: He talked about being raised in Denmark, and he said, where speaking your mind was part of everyday life. Having more money... didn't make your opinion worth more than anyone else's. Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak on which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge.
00:08:33
Speaker 1: You know, I guess in one respect, these are their venues, right? Robes, and they can have who they want in their venues. But that is tough to argue with that point. You are essentially saying the rich can tell the others what can be said out loud or not. And we're going to punish you for it. That is something that does resonate and seem to resonate, Robes, certainly through his lineup. But the industry, Robes, we're talking about artists. What industry? Who has spoken out more? I mean, there were athletes' protests of things going on that will go down in history. But, Robes, this is what music has been and musicians have been, taking on the establishment, taking on government, taking on war, taking on. And you're going to tell us we can't speak. This is very personal to them. I was surprised by the reaction.
00:09:23
Speaker 3: We have heard from musicians who have rallied around Macklemore and his right to be able to. And he sang his protest song and Hiles Hall. And look, a lot of artists have made massive mega hits over their resistance protest anthems. We've heard of Vietnam, Korean War, whatever people were protesting up against. Yes.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: And Macklemore has been right there in the middle of it.
00:09:48
Speaker 1: He has for a while. He has been losing opportunities for a while over this stance. And we are not getting into an Israeli-Palestinian debate here.
00:10:02
Speaker 3: Nope.
00:10:03
Speaker 1: Never, ever, ever would. We, though, Robes, are always blown away at how just at the simplest suggestion of sympathy for a Palestinian individual young or old, gets you labeled anti-Israel.
00:10:23
Speaker 2: Yes, or even an anti-Semite.
00:10:26
Speaker 3: And that is the problem, and that's what a lot of people are now speaking up about, saying we can still feel sympathy towards children and the children who are being killed since even the ceasefire. And it's not a statement that's anti-Semitic. We can still have sympathy and concern about want to give money to the people who are in that situation without necessarily making a statement against.
00:10:58
Speaker 2: The state they're at war with.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just, it's always difficult. And he never said anything anti-Israel.
00:11:05
Speaker 3: He didn't.
00:11:06
Speaker 1: In his statements.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: He didn't.
00:11:07
Speaker 1: On stage at all. But again, just many are, And I hope you have the statement there from the Irish band as well.
00:11:18
Speaker 3: I do.
00:11:18
Speaker 1: They went hard. But some are taking a stance because they also stand with Palestinian people. And then some are taking the stance like you can't shut somebody up just because you don't like that their perspective isn't like yours. That part of it seems so un-American. Yes.
00:11:39
Speaker 2: Free speech.
00:11:40
Speaker 3: Yes. The fact that you can't say something as a musician... You can't play certain songs. That does not sound American at all.
00:11:49
Speaker 1: But Rose, you know there are probably people listening to us now whose skin's crawling. Like, what is wrong with you? Of course you can't say free Palestine. Of course you can't. You've got to think about what Hamas has done. Like, there's no moment for just, it's okay. I am crushed that a kid is killed today in Gaza. Okay, do I have to couch that in some way?
00:12:16
Speaker 3: Do I have to give an explanation about how the war began and why there's? That's it.
00:12:23
Speaker 2: We don't have time for that, honestly. and they probably wouldn't have said it correctly anyway, or.
00:12:27
Speaker 3: The way that that organization would have liked them to say it. You just start getting into the weeds at that point. If you want to express sympathy or compassion for a group of people, you should be able to do so without being labeled anti-anything.
00:12:41
Speaker 1: But we saw Robes at Night, and we had obviously never heard of them before, but Ed Sheeran, the loop tour, does call that because he's the only one on stage, and he... this loop machine where he creates every single sound from the song, plays them on a loop, and it sounds like he's a band up there, but it's just one guy. Now, the only time he did get some help, bro, was when he brought out this Irish band. What was it? Four members?
00:13:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:13:07
Speaker 1: Maybe four or five. They were fun. They were a good time. He promoted the hell out of them to the point of humor. He kept saying, you can catch them. They'll be at the blah, blah, blah coming up this weekend. It was just fun. You could tell there was a camaraderie. He knew them and knew them well. And there was love. They performed. It was great. So this statement, Robes, after us seeing that interaction, this was passion.
00:13:34
Speaker 2: And it is stunning.
00:13:35
Speaker 3: Bioga is the name of Shirin's house band. And they do talk about how they've been friends with Ed for more than 10 years and will continue to be.
00:13:44
Speaker 2: They did say that.
00:13:46
Speaker 3: But they said, as musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams. But to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a free Palestine is simply not an option for us. It is important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the Zionist lobby. They have worked tirelessly to silence artists who want to speak freely about a genocide happening before our eyes for fear of retribution. Research how much Robert Kraft has done to fight the BDS movement. That will give you a sense of what we've all been up against. We were there for McLemore's performance and speech. We fully supported his message. So did most of the audience in MetLife Stadium, which terrifies the lobbies. Go back and read the transcript if you're in doubt. We are Irish people who understand colonialism. Yes.
00:14:36
Speaker 2: And they end saying, up the workers, free Palestine.
00:14:40
Speaker 1: Robes. Now, they took more of a political stance. They did. They went after a movement. McLemore didn't do that. And they came out that strong. Again, Ro, we all see this in the conflict, even folks through their own perspective. And that's kind of okay to do so. These folks, I was, and I didn't realize, Ro, the Irish part of that with some of these artists. There's a reason they reacted.
00:15:16
Speaker 2: It's a deep history.
00:15:17
Speaker 1: There's a reason they reacted the way they did. But this gets us to our latest and our updated drama in this story. That's not the end of it. Because now Macklemore has come out with a new statement, Robes, that has set off another statement. This one from Macklemore, he says he's going to donate every penny of his earnings from this tour to Palestinian refugees. organizations.
00:15:46
Speaker 2: That's quite a statement.
00:15:47
Speaker 3: He said, with everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs, to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.
00:16:00
Speaker 2: I will be donating the entire $ 1.
00:16:02
Speaker 3: Million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this. Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.
00:16:26
Speaker 1: What do you think so far?
00:16:27
Speaker 2: I think it's really.
00:16:28
Speaker 3: Smart and really good in the fact that he's kind of saying, you know what?
00:16:33
Speaker 2: I challenge you.
00:16:34
Speaker 3: And he's raising money for the cause that he was fighting for on that stage. So I actually think it's quite brilliant.
00:16:39
Speaker 1: Isn't that something? I'm going to get something out of you for kicking me off your tour.
00:16:43
Speaker 3: Yep. And I'm going to show you just how much this isn't about money for me and how much this is truly about what I believe.
00:16:52
Speaker 1: And some might see that as a pretty slick or savvy move, but the way he framed it puts it the best way you can. All right.
00:16:59
Speaker 3: I agree. He went on to say, that is what this has always been about. Not me, not a tour, not the headlines or the controversy. It's about Palestinians' right to freedom, dignity, and safety in their own homeland. I want to center the parents carrying their children into hospitals without the basic resources to treat them, and the physicians, paramedics, journalists, and aid workers who keep.
00:17:21
Speaker 2: Going back in.
00:17:23
Speaker 3: I want to center the organizers and activists who have paid real costs for standing with Palestine, their risk, is of a far different order than mine. He goes on to say, just yesterday, 15-year-old Mohammad El-Zanadi was killed in an Israeli strike while rushing to help aid worker Sharif Lubard, who had already been injured.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: He was a child. Both were murdered. Both should be alive.
00:17:47
Speaker 3: And the one still under the rubble, whose names exist only in the memories of people who may not have survived to speak them. Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me. I am doing it because I can and because these organizations are doing the work while much of the world debates it. But aid alone cannot address the conditions that make it necessary. This is a man-made injustice and I believe it requires immediate political change. Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should not have to wait another day to be free.
00:18:20
Speaker 2: That is where my focus will remain.
00:18:23
Speaker 3: I will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and their fight for liberation.
00:18:28
Speaker 2: When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don't move with it.
00:18:37
Speaker 1: That was good.
00:18:37
Speaker 2: It was very good.
00:18:39
Speaker 1: I like this one better than this first one, I think.
00:18:42
Speaker 3: Yes, because, well, first of all, it is authentic to him, and I believe what he's saying. And he wouldn't have done what he did. And he knew what he was doing when he made that speech at MetLife. He knew it was going to be controversial. I don't know that he knew he was going to get kicked off the tour.
00:19:00
Speaker 2: But he made a choice. Consequences be what they may.
00:19:07
Speaker 1: Do you think this is the good now that's going to come of this? We always try to find it. But are you telling me millions, possibly millions and millions of dollars are going to pour into, I don't know, eight organizations that are.
00:19:20
Speaker 2: I have.
00:19:20
Speaker 3: Seen Free Palestine, Palestine trending on so many... So in a way that it hadn't been recently. People forget. They do move on. If it's not in your face, you don't think about it. And so he has brought the attention back. And with that resources, yes. And my question is, will one of those checks, will one of those donations... be coming from Robert Kraft?
00:19:43
Speaker 1: The headlines said yes. Is that fair to say? That all the headlines... were?
00:19:48
Speaker 3: They suggested it, but I also saw some folks writing it was unclear which donation he'd be making because he was challenged by both, according to him, Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, to give varying amounts of money to different organizations and He acknowledged he had been challenged by both men, but he never specified if he was writing a check and to whom he'd be writing the check and for how much. So he was, I would argue, deliberately vague, and it is unclear, and some people did say it was unclear which organizations he would be donating to.
00:20:26
Speaker 1: Okay, see, because I thought I read it wrong. The headlines, Patriots owner announces... Two million dollar humanitarian aid donation. Patriots owner Robert Kraft pledges two million dollars to Palestinian region. New York Times. Patriots owner Robert Kraft pledges two million dollars.
00:20:49
Speaker 2: Maybe they read between the lines in a way we did not.
00:20:52
Speaker 1: Robert Kraft donating. Ed Sheeran gets Robert Kraft to donate. Okay, so I saw all these and that's why... So I'm reading this first, everybody, so you all will understand now in the context of when I then read the statement, I went, wait a minute. Wait, what?
00:21:09
Speaker 3: Because it was Rolling Stone that wrote, Robert Kraft responds to McLemore's invite.
00:21:14
Speaker 2: And then they're the ones who said it's unclear, basically.
00:21:17
Speaker 1: There are a couple others that write.
00:21:18
Speaker 2: Them like that. Yeah, so they obviously.
00:21:21
Speaker 3: read it the way we read it not everybody did that's okay but how about we just read it for you and then you can see what you think um this is directly from robert craft i have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: Will you take it from the top without the commentary?
00:21:44
Speaker 2: Alt Lives Matter, baby. You didn't know that?
00:21:46
Speaker 3: Earlier today, before McLemore 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. 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. My question is, why wouldn't he just have added, and I agreed to do it, or I agreed to match Ed, or why wouldn't he have just said there in plain language, written words, and I agreed, or and I matched.
00:22:35
Speaker 1: Robes, these aren't oversights. These are people at this level, their words matter, they have written countless press releases and explanations for things that happened with his team, all kinds of stuff, Robes. That was not an accident. He seems to have put this out to do what? To respond to Macklemore without committing to him.
00:22:59
Speaker 3: Right.
00:23:00
Speaker 1: But it's written in that world. There's no other way. We're not crazy here.
00:23:05
Speaker 3: He did not say, and I agreed, or and I will be matching.
00:23:10
Speaker 2: He did not get specific.
00:23:22
Speaker 1: Ed called me and asked me to commit $ 2 million to match his donation to aid in the region. Ed now plans to reach out to other people, Why do it that way?
00:23:33
Speaker 3: I don't know.
00:23:34
Speaker 2: Maybe he's trying to be humble.
00:23:36
Speaker 1: Or is this a rare oversight and they just need to come back and clarify? Possibly. Of course, that's what we meant, the $ 2 million is coming. So what if $ 2 million comes from Kraft, $ 2 million comes from a couple other venues, and you end up with $ 10 million going towards the region for a humanitarian crisis? Wasn't that worth it? Doesn't Macklemore need to be applauded for that?
00:23:55
Speaker 2: Yes, I agree. Yes, he would.
00:23:57
Speaker 3: If all of that money is headed to the region to help in the humanitarian crisis that is absolutely just in shambles. I mean, they aren't able to even get aid to folks who need it the most. So yes, that would be a huge boon to the region, and that would be a big win for McLemore. If that is truly, and I do believe it is, his intended purpose behind all of this, then he comes out on top.
00:24:21
Speaker 1: I think that way, not public credit, I think he would personally, he seems Robes, For whatever the investment is, to be genuinely, authentically invested. He's been doing this for years at great cost. We've just seen him get kicked off the tour. The last time we were doing stories, he got kicked off a festival in Vegas. So, and I'm sure, I mean, he's losing out on stuff he could be doing. He's choosing to do this. This would be the biggest, he couldn't make a donation this big.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: That is true. Absolutely true. And you talked about the cost. Is there a cost for Ed Sheeran in his.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: You know, we haven't gotten to that, right?
00:24:59
Speaker 2: Because he made a point.
00:25:01
Speaker 3: We talked about this earlier, but Ed Sheeran had the longest statement out of anybody.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: He did.
00:25:07
Speaker 3: And there were some long statements that folks made in announcing their departure from the tour.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: Ed Sheeran's was like five pages on Instagram.
00:25:16
Speaker 3: The longest, yes. And it was exceptionally long, and it really didn't say much at all. It was basically like, I have thoughts, I have feelings, but I'm just not going to share them.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: And that's not what I do. That's not how I roll as an artist.
00:25:30
Speaker 3: I want to make sure every child feels seen and welcome and doesn't feel in any way, I guess, alienated. So he's staying out of it. But the way he said it, he didn't back Macklemore. He didn't support free speech. There were things he could have said and some might argue he should have said. And he still could have remained neutral, but he didn't.
00:25:55
Speaker 2: He stepped in it by not stepping in anything.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: I just pulled it up here. I need to get it to you. You might be able to recognize which ones of parts of this jumped out more. You're right. He said there were very specific sentences in here that cause you to just go, come on, Ed. Because we do all love this man's music. He is one of the biggest stars on the planet. He is perpetually one of the biggest streaming stars year after year after year. And he just doesn't step in it a lot. And maybe that's part of the problem. He was trying so hard to stay out of it.
00:26:33
Speaker 2: And I'm not the one who kicked Macklemore off. It wasn't me. It was them.
00:26:37
Speaker 3: But to not act as though he didn't have a say or a role. And he was portraying himself, and this may very well all be true, but I was the man stuck in the middle, and I was trying so hard, and I couldn't get anybody. I was trying to be the bridge, and I couldn't figure it out.
00:26:53
Speaker 1: To your point on that, you do have a good memory. Quote, I spoke to the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists involved on both sides to try and find mutual resolution for all, but the venue's and promoter's decision was final. Coming off the tour was the promoter's decision. It was not mine. About Macklemore. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me. I would never let fans down who made plans.
00:27:29
Speaker 2: Look, I understand.
00:27:29
Speaker 1: So if he's saying, if it were me, I wouldn't have kicked him off.
00:27:33
Speaker 2: Well, he should have said that then.
00:27:35
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:27:36
Speaker 2: And that is where.
00:27:36
Speaker 1: That would have gone a long way.
00:27:38
Speaker 3: That is where you would have said, hell yeah, Ed.
00:27:41
Speaker 2: Like, I appreciate that.
00:27:42
Speaker 1: But then the next thing he would have had to say was, yeah, I am not going to be a part of this. This is my lineup. He can speak. If you don't like it, I'm not coming either.
00:27:53
Speaker 2: I'll find another venue.
00:27:55
Speaker 3: I mean, look, I understand how disruptive that is to so many fans because only stadiums that size could house... the amount of ticket holders who had already purchased tickets. And I understand what a mess that would have been, but I would, I wonder if other venues, if there would be other opportunities. I mean, look, I understand there was probably no, this is probably the least messy way to move forward for Ed Sheeran in the short term. I don't know long-term if it's the right choice and only time will tell.
00:28:26
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:28:27
Speaker 1: Did he talk to those opening acts ahead of time? Did he talk to them? Did they have any say in this? Did he have any clue that if Macklemore came off, this is what he was going to be facing?
00:28:40
Speaker 2: I don't know that he would have anticipated that.
00:28:42
Speaker 3: However, I mean, several of these acts, Phineas, his house band, they had made statements, pro-Palestine statements, plenty of times. The house band were the founding members of a Palestine movement within Ireland. Phineas and his sister, Billie Eilish, had participated in a celebrity fundraiser. So he had to have known that this was a sentiment shared by pretty much everyone on his tour.
00:29:09
Speaker 1: There's nothing, right? When he put his statement out, everybody had already bailed on the tour?
00:29:13
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:29:13
Speaker 1: So there was nothing he could do to get them back. Was there nothing he could have talked to them about ahead of time that kept them From bouncing.
00:29:21
Speaker 2: Doesn't sound like it.
00:29:22
Speaker 1: Dang gum. Here we go. And this is part that made your skin crawl a little bit here. Quote, I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together. This won't ever change. Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they're about unity, escapism, love, and a place where everybody feel welcome. I am not complicit. I have my personal views on the devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them and it doesn't mean I don't care, nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own personal way. That's fair, and that's fine, right?
00:30:00
Speaker 2: It's absolutely fair. It's just vague.
00:30:02
Speaker 1: Just in this hot moment, it was like almost not acknowledging the heat.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:30:09
Speaker 1: Not acknowledging the frustration on fans of Split in the Arena. I don't know, Robes. That was, please, trust me. I'm a good dude, and I feel strongly about this. Not going to tell you which way.
00:30:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it was one of those, I remember walking away from reading his statement thinking of one of our favorite lines, not to make it comedic, but let's lighten the mood here, from Vince Vaughn in Couples Therapy, I know my truth. Yeah.
00:30:37
Speaker 2: That's what it felt like. He was saying, I know my truth.
00:30:40
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:30:41
Speaker 1: I got to go back and watch that today. It was a shark attack to him. Everybody else, he had a scratch on his leg.
00:30:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, like maybe a coral scratched him. But he claimed a shark attacked him. He said he was a survivor.
00:30:54
Speaker 3: And everyone was laughing at him.
00:30:56
Speaker 2: He got really upset. He goes like, I know my truth. That is what Ed Sheeran's statement.
00:31:01
Speaker 3: He does this.
00:31:02
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. I don't care how hot everything has gotten. I know my truth. And look, we love Ed Sheeran.
00:31:10
Speaker 3: This is the reason why I got the tickets for you, because he's one of your all-time favorite artists.
00:31:15
Speaker 1: Got every album sitting in there of Ed Sheeran's.
00:31:18
Speaker 3: Yes, our song is an Ed Sheeran, a very little known, is how I.
00:31:23
Speaker 1: Should say it. It'd be called The B-Sides.
00:31:25
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, and Deep Cuts. We knew he probably wasn't going to play it. I was hoping that maybe, what if he had played that song? Yes, we have a song we love that you probably, I didn't know it until you- Sent it to me, and then it just kind of became our song.
00:31:41
Speaker 1: If he played that, I would have grabbed anybody nearby to marry us on the spot while that song was playing.
00:31:47
Speaker 2: I would have bawled.
00:31:47
Speaker 1: Oh, my goodness. We have to do this now. But some more here, though, of the statement we're hoping to give you. There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics. My audience includes young people, often children of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end. Peace. I don't do it because there are kids in my show.
00:32:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, and the point that I think is oh so ironic about that statement is Macklemore's whole purpose is about the kids. Like that is his main, when he's talking about what's happening in Palestine, he's talking about the kids.
00:32:31
Speaker 2: He referenced his own daughter. And that is where his focus is.
00:32:35
Speaker 3: So I just think it is a little bit ironic that Ed Sheeran actually used, and I'm not saying used that he was not being forthright. I believe him when he says it's because of the young kids in the audience. When Macklemore's saying it's because of the young people of the world who are being murdered senselessly.
00:32:54
Speaker 1: Oh man, this is a really long statement, babe.
00:32:57
Speaker 2: It's really long and it doesn't say much.
00:32:58
Speaker 1: And it doesn't say anything at all.
00:33:00
Speaker 3: And he's getting some, look, no big, and I shouldn't say, I'm not trying to minimize who's spoken out. It isn't like some major artist. But there are some folks who are starting to speak out and up against Ed Sheeran as well. I don't know if that's going to grow. But what has been said was fairly mean-spirited and harsh towards him.
00:33:23
Speaker 1: Again, these are artists, ropes, musicians.
00:33:26
Speaker 2: They take this seriously.
00:33:28
Speaker 1: They take the right to speak and to be anti-establishment seriously.
00:33:33
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:33:33
Speaker 1: And you tell them they can't speak, that's problematic. Robes are still, let me pull this up. I know several more stops. The tour doesn't wrap up until the end of the year. Also, certainly November, maybe even December. But he has, how many more stops we got here? What is this, Robes?
00:33:48
Speaker 3: Well, Philadelphia is, as of this recording this weekend, he's got Boston, which was the Gillette Stadium debacle next weekend.
00:33:56
Speaker 1: Two there after that.
00:33:57
Speaker 2: And then where does he go after Boston?
00:33:58
Speaker 1: He's got Atlanta, he's got Indianapolis, Charlotte, Arlington, two in Hollywood, Florida, and one in Tampa. That's where he wraps up on November the 7th.
00:34:06
Speaker 2: And then goes to South America after that, correct?
00:34:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, so at least 10 more shows, 10 plus here in the U.S. to do. There are stories, I haven't looked into it well enough, how deep of a dive on how ticket sales are, if they're still available at some of these shows. Don't know also, Robes, if he's going to be able to get any opening act. Maybe he'll start grabbing some local Boston talent or something like that.
00:34:29
Speaker 3: Possibly, but do any of those artists feel like they'll have the stain on them if they now join?
00:34:35
Speaker 2: It's like basically when union workers go on strike. If you come in and now you're a rat.
00:34:44
Speaker 3: So I'm just curious if any of those artists, if there are or would be any artists that he would try to tap, if they would be concerned about now being labeled traitors in the music industry.
00:34:57
Speaker 1: So to speak. Last two questions for everybody. Last two questions for you. One, will people start to demand money back in this tour? They're not getting for what they paid for, first of all, an opening act of some kind that they knew. Okay. But you're there to see Ed Sheeran. I don't know legally if they have any recourse.
00:35:20
Speaker 2: I don't either. I don't know.
00:35:21
Speaker 1: But do you think they'll get pissed enough that this will become something and people start asking for their money?
00:35:26
Speaker 3: There may be some people who do, and I think it may be some people who are angry at Ed Sheeran even for his non-stance. I mean, there is going to be backlash of some kind, and that would not be uncalled for, I think. And I think it might also, who knows what's in the fine print, When you get your ticket, it might say, you know, opening act subject to change.
00:35:46
Speaker 2: That very well may be in there.
00:35:47
Speaker 3: And I wouldn't be surprised if it was because things happen and people pull out and there are issues on the road. So I imagine they've got legal protections in the fine print when you bought your tickets.
00:35:57
Speaker 1: Does it say opening act subject to change or not be there? The second question is, is there any chance in hell he does not address this in some way on that stage in Philadelphia?
00:36:12
Speaker 3: I think he has to. I think he has to. And we'll all be waiting for it.
00:36:18
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're going to be watching. All right. That's the latest. It's not over. What was the title I had? It's the, oh, Craft Mac and Sheeran.
00:36:29
Speaker 3: Yes, Craft Mac and Sheeran is what you called it. That was a really clever title. Maybe we'll call the episode that.
00:36:35
Speaker 1: But an unlikely trio. Folks, we always appreciate you. I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll see you soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. Last Christmas, yes, December 2025, I got a very special Christmas gift from my dear Amy Robach. That gift was tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert the first weekend of September. Who knew? And with that, everybody, welcome.
00:00:25
Speaker 2: It's the gift that keeps on giving.
00:00:26
Speaker 1: And it keeps giving and giving and giving. I'm not sure who it's given to. I'm not sure who it's taken from. This story is wild, and the thought that in December of last year you gave me a gift that's now turned into what that concert weekend turned into.
00:00:45
Speaker 3: Turned into Macklemore's first and last opening acts with Ed Sheeran is what that turned into, and then a whole lot of backlash and a war of words, and... Yeah, the country's divided again over an Ed Sheeran concert. Never would have predicted that in a million years.
00:01:05
Speaker 1: Ed Sheeran just doesn't step in it. I mean, he messed with the Marvin Gaye estate for a little while. Upset about that tune.
00:01:11
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
00:01:13
Speaker 1: But the man stays out of trouble. He stays out of controversy.
00:01:15
Speaker 2: Staying out of it is now getting him into more controversy.
00:01:18
Speaker 1: That is the thing. Being so... Neutral has now put him on a side, has now gotten him enemies almost on both sides. This is an incredible story. I think most, maybe by this point, Robes, are familiar with what's going on. Now, as of this recording, we are recording this after Macklemore has been kicked off Ed Sheeran's tour, but before the next scheduled Ed Sheeran performance. which is going to be Lincoln Field in Philadelphia. Robes. What might that look like?
00:01:55
Speaker 2: We have no idea.
00:01:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, I really don't.
00:01:56
Speaker 3: Every single opening act of Ed Sheeran, all four have said bye-bye. So he has no, as far as we know, he has no musical guests leading up to his performance. I don't know how that's going to work here in MetLife when we had tickets. I guess the stadium opened at 5.30. Ed Sheeran was slated to hit the stage around 8.30.
00:02:19
Speaker 2: Three hours.
00:02:21
Speaker 3: And when you pay these very high prices to see these major artists, you expect a big show. And that includes some of the preludes, some of the acts that come before. You get excited about either hearing new artists or a specific artist.
00:02:36
Speaker 2: We were excited about Macklemore.
00:02:38
Speaker 3: We've talked about how the New Jersey transit system completely screwed us into.
00:02:42
Speaker 1: Actually seeing him. When did we find out that Macklemore was opening?
00:02:45
Speaker 2: The day of. I think I Googled, like, oh, wait, who's opening for Ed Sheeran? I didn't even look.
00:02:51
Speaker 3: And we got excited because Lucas Graham we love and then Macklemore. And so we were trying to figure out our day of work and how soon we could get from our apartment here in Manhattan, lower Manhattan, to MetLife, which, by the way, is seven miles away.
00:03:04
Speaker 1: 7.8 from this seat right here. 7.8 miles. Wherever you are in the country, think if something is 7.8 miles away from you, how long does it take you to get there?
00:03:16
Speaker 2: 10 minutes, maybe.
00:03:17
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:03:17
Speaker 2: Even in heavy traffic. Maybe 15.
00:03:20
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:03:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, we were two hours and counting and didn't even make it. And that wasn't on the roads because on the roads, getting out with the Lincoln Tunnel, et cetera, Holland Tunnel, however you wanted to get over, it was going to be at least an hour to that.
00:03:34
Speaker 2: So, yeah, sadly, with every intention of seeing Macklemore.
00:03:38
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:03:38
Speaker 2: We missed him, and wow, we apparently missed quite the show.
00:03:42
Speaker 1: It is so funny, the circumstances of this and how it all pieced together and what our day and our night was and how it all had to fall into place for us to miss him exactly. But yes, it was that concert, that weekend. He did it back-to-back shows, says something about free Palestine, has some imagery up. Some people took issue immediately. with it. Um, the issue they took with it, obviously, Robes, is that it was one-sided. The, uh, what, Israeli-American Council, very influential group, uh, here in the U.S., came out and said, Ed Sheeran, promoters, venues, you need to kick Macklemore off your tour. And Robes, what was the point that we thought, okay, he's, he's probably in trouble? Um, It might have been when they put that out. Rose, when they started talking about venues.
00:04:31
Speaker 2: When they started, yes.
00:04:32
Speaker 3: To me, that's when I thought, oh, they know what they're doing. They're not just calling on Ed Sheeran or calling on Macklemore to amend his statements or to talk about Hamas and to give the full context of free Palestine. No, they went directly to absolutely, I would say, demanding for his removal. And they were calling on specifically Hamas.
00:04:55
Speaker 2: The venues.
00:04:56
Speaker 3: And that's when I thought, oh, wow, think about this is a powerful, it is the largest and most powerful Israeli organization in this country, nonprofit. And I just thought when you've got voices that are that influential, that are that loud, calling on owners, this is done.
00:05:13
Speaker 2: And McLemore is done. And what Ed Sheeran was going to do next, unclear.
00:05:19
Speaker 1: And it looked like this was on Ed Sheeran. We were waiting on him to make a move. Robes, we heard from, who was the next person we heard from? You know what? I guess it was Macklemore. We heard that he was getting kicked off the tour. He put out a long statement, Robes, and he explained that it wasn't Ed Sheeran, but it was Robert Kraft. Here we go. This is where the story, where are we going here? Robert Kraft, owner of the Patriots, who also runs Gillette Stadium in Boston, where Ed Sheeran has a show later this month, said he called up Ed and says, if that dude is on your lineup, You cannot have your concert here, and I will encourage other stadiums to do the same.
00:06:07
Speaker 3: He orchestrated a boycott among stadium owners to say if Macklemore is on the list, if he is opening for Ed Sheeran, our stadium will not participate in your tour.
00:06:16
Speaker 1: Okay, so there you go. What's Ed Sheeran supposed to do? And sure enough, word is Macklemore gets kicked off. That's the word we get. So Macklemore puts out a long statement explaining what happens, that he had no ill will against Ed Sheeran, had to do what he had to do. Robes? What happened next? I did not see coming.
00:06:38
Speaker 3: Every single opening act then released their own statements in solidarity with Macklemore. Many of them saying free Palestine. Two of the acts were from Ireland. And Ireland obviously has a steep history in oppression, in being oppressed. And take issue with many of the folks from Ireland are very much in Palestine's corner. And so they made bold statements. Free Palestine, we stand with Macklemore, and they say, we're giving up money, we're giving up opportunity, we're giving up a dream tour, because we cannot sit by and watch people who have money, people who have power, determine what can and cannot be said by an artist. Free speech and free Palestine. Those were the continuing themes throughout each statement.
00:07:30
Speaker 1: And one of those robes, opening acts.
00:07:35
Speaker 1: Is what many believe one of the powerhouse creators behind one of the biggest superstars on the planet, Billie Eilish's brother.
00:07:43
Speaker 3: Billie Eilish's brother, Phineas, was set to join Ed Sheeran in his South American tour.
00:07:48
Speaker 2: So quite a few concerts, and he was going to be a big draw to the tour.
00:07:54
Speaker 3: And he put out this statement, short and sweet, artists must not be silenced, When they speak up for the oppressed, I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.
00:08:07
Speaker 1: Boom. What was the... You have Lucas Grahams in there?
00:08:10
Speaker 2: I do have Lucas Grahams.
00:08:12
Speaker 3: He talked about being raised in Denmark, and he said, where speaking your mind was part of everyday life. Having more money... didn't make your opinion worth more than anyone else's. Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak on which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge.
00:08:33
Speaker 1: You know, I guess in one respect, these are their venues, right? Robes, and they can have who they want in their venues. But that is tough to argue with that point. You are essentially saying the rich can tell the others what can be said out loud or not. And we're going to punish you for it. That is something that does resonate and seem to resonate, Robes, certainly through his lineup. But the industry, Robes, we're talking about artists. What industry? Who has spoken out more? I mean, there were athletes' protests of things going on that will go down in history. But, Robes, this is what music has been and musicians have been, taking on the establishment, taking on government, taking on war, taking on. And you're going to tell us we can't speak. This is very personal to them. I was surprised by the reaction.
00:09:23
Speaker 3: We have heard from musicians who have rallied around Macklemore and his right to be able to. And he sang his protest song and Hiles Hall. And look, a lot of artists have made massive mega hits over their resistance protest anthems. We've heard of Vietnam, Korean War, whatever people were protesting up against. Yes.
00:09:45
Speaker 2: And Macklemore has been right there in the middle of it.
00:09:48
Speaker 1: He has for a while. He has been losing opportunities for a while over this stance. And we are not getting into an Israeli-Palestinian debate here.
00:10:02
Speaker 3: Nope.
00:10:03
Speaker 1: Never, ever, ever would. We, though, Robes, are always blown away at how just at the simplest suggestion of sympathy for a Palestinian individual young or old, gets you labeled anti-Israel.
00:10:23
Speaker 2: Yes, or even an anti-Semite.
00:10:26
Speaker 3: And that is the problem, and that's what a lot of people are now speaking up about, saying we can still feel sympathy towards children and the children who are being killed since even the ceasefire. And it's not a statement that's anti-Semitic. We can still have sympathy and concern about want to give money to the people who are in that situation without necessarily making a statement against.
00:10:58
Speaker 2: The state they're at war with.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just, it's always difficult. And he never said anything anti-Israel.
00:11:05
Speaker 3: He didn't.
00:11:06
Speaker 1: In his statements.
00:11:07
Speaker 3: He didn't.
00:11:07
Speaker 1: On stage at all. But again, just many are, And I hope you have the statement there from the Irish band as well.
00:11:18
Speaker 3: I do.
00:11:18
Speaker 1: They went hard. But some are taking a stance because they also stand with Palestinian people. And then some are taking the stance like you can't shut somebody up just because you don't like that their perspective isn't like yours. That part of it seems so un-American. Yes.
00:11:39
Speaker 2: Free speech.
00:11:40
Speaker 3: Yes. The fact that you can't say something as a musician... You can't play certain songs. That does not sound American at all.
00:11:49
Speaker 1: But Rose, you know there are probably people listening to us now whose skin's crawling. Like, what is wrong with you? Of course you can't say free Palestine. Of course you can't. You've got to think about what Hamas has done. Like, there's no moment for just, it's okay. I am crushed that a kid is killed today in Gaza. Okay, do I have to couch that in some way?
00:12:16
Speaker 3: Do I have to give an explanation about how the war began and why there's? That's it.
00:12:23
Speaker 2: We don't have time for that, honestly. and they probably wouldn't have said it correctly anyway, or.
00:12:27
Speaker 3: The way that that organization would have liked them to say it. You just start getting into the weeds at that point. If you want to express sympathy or compassion for a group of people, you should be able to do so without being labeled anti-anything.
00:12:41
Speaker 1: But we saw Robes at Night, and we had obviously never heard of them before, but Ed Sheeran, the loop tour, does call that because he's the only one on stage, and he... this loop machine where he creates every single sound from the song, plays them on a loop, and it sounds like he's a band up there, but it's just one guy. Now, the only time he did get some help, bro, was when he brought out this Irish band. What was it? Four members?
00:13:07
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:13:07
Speaker 1: Maybe four or five. They were fun. They were a good time. He promoted the hell out of them to the point of humor. He kept saying, you can catch them. They'll be at the blah, blah, blah coming up this weekend. It was just fun. You could tell there was a camaraderie. He knew them and knew them well. And there was love. They performed. It was great. So this statement, Robes, after us seeing that interaction, this was passion.
00:13:34
Speaker 2: And it is stunning.
00:13:35
Speaker 3: Bioga is the name of Shirin's house band. And they do talk about how they've been friends with Ed for more than 10 years and will continue to be.
00:13:44
Speaker 2: They did say that.
00:13:46
Speaker 3: But they said, as musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams. But to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a free Palestine is simply not an option for us. It is important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the Zionist lobby. They have worked tirelessly to silence artists who want to speak freely about a genocide happening before our eyes for fear of retribution. Research how much Robert Kraft has done to fight the BDS movement. That will give you a sense of what we've all been up against. We were there for McLemore's performance and speech. We fully supported his message. So did most of the audience in MetLife Stadium, which terrifies the lobbies. Go back and read the transcript if you're in doubt. We are Irish people who understand colonialism. Yes.
00:14:36
Speaker 2: And they end saying, up the workers, free Palestine.
00:14:40
Speaker 1: Robes. Now, they took more of a political stance. They did. They went after a movement. McLemore didn't do that. And they came out that strong. Again, Ro, we all see this in the conflict, even folks through their own perspective. And that's kind of okay to do so. These folks, I was, and I didn't realize, Ro, the Irish part of that with some of these artists. There's a reason they reacted.
00:15:16
Speaker 2: It's a deep history.
00:15:17
Speaker 1: There's a reason they reacted the way they did. But this gets us to our latest and our updated drama in this story. That's not the end of it. Because now Macklemore has come out with a new statement, Robes, that has set off another statement. This one from Macklemore, he says he's going to donate every penny of his earnings from this tour to Palestinian refugees. organizations.
00:15:46
Speaker 2: That's quite a statement.
00:15:47
Speaker 3: He said, with everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs, to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.
00:16:00
Speaker 2: I will be donating the entire $ 1.
00:16:02
Speaker 3: Million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this. Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.
00:16:26
Speaker 1: What do you think so far?
00:16:27
Speaker 2: I think it's really.
00:16:28
Speaker 3: Smart and really good in the fact that he's kind of saying, you know what?
00:16:33
Speaker 2: I challenge you.
00:16:34
Speaker 3: And he's raising money for the cause that he was fighting for on that stage. So I actually think it's quite brilliant.
00:16:39
Speaker 1: Isn't that something? I'm going to get something out of you for kicking me off your tour.
00:16:43
Speaker 3: Yep. And I'm going to show you just how much this isn't about money for me and how much this is truly about what I believe.
00:16:52
Speaker 1: And some might see that as a pretty slick or savvy move, but the way he framed it puts it the best way you can. All right.
00:16:59
Speaker 3: I agree. He went on to say, that is what this has always been about. Not me, not a tour, not the headlines or the controversy. It's about Palestinians' right to freedom, dignity, and safety in their own homeland. I want to center the parents carrying their children into hospitals without the basic resources to treat them, and the physicians, paramedics, journalists, and aid workers who keep.
00:17:21
Speaker 2: Going back in.
00:17:23
Speaker 3: I want to center the organizers and activists who have paid real costs for standing with Palestine, their risk, is of a far different order than mine. He goes on to say, just yesterday, 15-year-old Mohammad El-Zanadi was killed in an Israeli strike while rushing to help aid worker Sharif Lubard, who had already been injured.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: He was a child. Both were murdered. Both should be alive.
00:17:47
Speaker 3: And the one still under the rubble, whose names exist only in the memories of people who may not have survived to speak them. Writing a check is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me. I am doing it because I can and because these organizations are doing the work while much of the world debates it. But aid alone cannot address the conditions that make it necessary. This is a man-made injustice and I believe it requires immediate political change. Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should not have to wait another day to be free.
00:18:20
Speaker 2: That is where my focus will remain.
00:18:23
Speaker 3: I will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and their fight for liberation.
00:18:28
Speaker 2: When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don't move with it.
00:18:37
Speaker 1: That was good.
00:18:37
Speaker 2: It was very good.
00:18:39
Speaker 1: I like this one better than this first one, I think.
00:18:42
Speaker 3: Yes, because, well, first of all, it is authentic to him, and I believe what he's saying. And he wouldn't have done what he did. And he knew what he was doing when he made that speech at MetLife. He knew it was going to be controversial. I don't know that he knew he was going to get kicked off the tour.
00:19:00
Speaker 2: But he made a choice. Consequences be what they may.
00:19:07
Speaker 1: Do you think this is the good now that's going to come of this? We always try to find it. But are you telling me millions, possibly millions and millions of dollars are going to pour into, I don't know, eight organizations that are.
00:19:20
Speaker 2: I have.
00:19:20
Speaker 3: Seen Free Palestine, Palestine trending on so many... So in a way that it hadn't been recently. People forget. They do move on. If it's not in your face, you don't think about it. And so he has brought the attention back. And with that resources, yes. And my question is, will one of those checks, will one of those donations... be coming from Robert Kraft?
00:19:43
Speaker 1: The headlines said yes. Is that fair to say? That all the headlines... were?
00:19:48
Speaker 3: They suggested it, but I also saw some folks writing it was unclear which donation he'd be making because he was challenged by both, according to him, Macklemore and Ed Sheeran, to give varying amounts of money to different organizations and He acknowledged he had been challenged by both men, but he never specified if he was writing a check and to whom he'd be writing the check and for how much. So he was, I would argue, deliberately vague, and it is unclear, and some people did say it was unclear which organizations he would be donating to.
00:20:26
Speaker 1: Okay, see, because I thought I read it wrong. The headlines, Patriots owner announces... Two million dollar humanitarian aid donation. Patriots owner Robert Kraft pledges two million dollars to Palestinian region. New York Times. Patriots owner Robert Kraft pledges two million dollars.
00:20:49
Speaker 2: Maybe they read between the lines in a way we did not.
00:20:52
Speaker 1: Robert Kraft donating. Ed Sheeran gets Robert Kraft to donate. Okay, so I saw all these and that's why... So I'm reading this first, everybody, so you all will understand now in the context of when I then read the statement, I went, wait a minute. Wait, what?
00:21:09
Speaker 3: Because it was Rolling Stone that wrote, Robert Kraft responds to McLemore's invite.
00:21:14
Speaker 2: And then they're the ones who said it's unclear, basically.
00:21:17
Speaker 1: There are a couple others that write.
00:21:18
Speaker 2: Them like that. Yeah, so they obviously.
00:21:21
Speaker 3: read it the way we read it not everybody did that's okay but how about we just read it for you and then you can see what you think um this is directly from robert craft i have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people.
00:21:36
Speaker 2: I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.
00:21:39
Speaker 1: Will you take it from the top without the commentary?
00:21:44
Speaker 2: Alt Lives Matter, baby. You didn't know that?
00:21:46
Speaker 3: Earlier today, before McLemore 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. 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. My question is, why wouldn't he just have added, and I agreed to do it, or I agreed to match Ed, or why wouldn't he have just said there in plain language, written words, and I agreed, or and I matched.
00:22:35
Speaker 1: Robes, these aren't oversights. These are people at this level, their words matter, they have written countless press releases and explanations for things that happened with his team, all kinds of stuff, Robes. That was not an accident. He seems to have put this out to do what? To respond to Macklemore without committing to him.
00:22:59
Speaker 3: Right.
00:23:00
Speaker 1: But it's written in that world. There's no other way. We're not crazy here.
00:23:05
Speaker 3: He did not say, and I agreed, or and I will be matching.
00:23:10
Speaker 2: He did not get specific.
00:23:22
Speaker 1: Ed called me and asked me to commit $ 2 million to match his donation to aid in the region. Ed now plans to reach out to other people, Why do it that way?
00:23:33
Speaker 3: I don't know.
00:23:34
Speaker 2: Maybe he's trying to be humble.
00:23:36
Speaker 1: Or is this a rare oversight and they just need to come back and clarify? Possibly. Of course, that's what we meant, the $ 2 million is coming. So what if $ 2 million comes from Kraft, $ 2 million comes from a couple other venues, and you end up with $ 10 million going towards the region for a humanitarian crisis? Wasn't that worth it? Doesn't Macklemore need to be applauded for that?
00:23:55
Speaker 2: Yes, I agree. Yes, he would.
00:23:57
Speaker 3: If all of that money is headed to the region to help in the humanitarian crisis that is absolutely just in shambles. I mean, they aren't able to even get aid to folks who need it the most. So yes, that would be a huge boon to the region, and that would be a big win for McLemore. If that is truly, and I do believe it is, his intended purpose behind all of this, then he comes out on top.
00:24:21
Speaker 1: I think that way, not public credit, I think he would personally, he seems Robes, For whatever the investment is, to be genuinely, authentically invested. He's been doing this for years at great cost. We've just seen him get kicked off the tour. The last time we were doing stories, he got kicked off a festival in Vegas. So, and I'm sure, I mean, he's losing out on stuff he could be doing. He's choosing to do this. This would be the biggest, he couldn't make a donation this big.
00:24:51
Speaker 2: That is true. Absolutely true. And you talked about the cost. Is there a cost for Ed Sheeran in his.
00:24:57
Speaker 1: You know, we haven't gotten to that, right?
00:24:59
Speaker 2: Because he made a point.
00:25:01
Speaker 3: We talked about this earlier, but Ed Sheeran had the longest statement out of anybody.
00:25:07
Speaker 2: He did.
00:25:07
Speaker 3: And there were some long statements that folks made in announcing their departure from the tour.
00:25:13
Speaker 2: Ed Sheeran's was like five pages on Instagram.
00:25:16
Speaker 3: The longest, yes. And it was exceptionally long, and it really didn't say much at all. It was basically like, I have thoughts, I have feelings, but I'm just not going to share them.
00:25:27
Speaker 2: And that's not what I do. That's not how I roll as an artist.
00:25:30
Speaker 3: I want to make sure every child feels seen and welcome and doesn't feel in any way, I guess, alienated. So he's staying out of it. But the way he said it, he didn't back Macklemore. He didn't support free speech. There were things he could have said and some might argue he should have said. And he still could have remained neutral, but he didn't.
00:25:55
Speaker 2: He stepped in it by not stepping in anything.
00:25:58
Speaker 1: I just pulled it up here. I need to get it to you. You might be able to recognize which ones of parts of this jumped out more. You're right. He said there were very specific sentences in here that cause you to just go, come on, Ed. Because we do all love this man's music. He is one of the biggest stars on the planet. He is perpetually one of the biggest streaming stars year after year after year. And he just doesn't step in it a lot. And maybe that's part of the problem. He was trying so hard to stay out of it.
00:26:33
Speaker 2: And I'm not the one who kicked Macklemore off. It wasn't me. It was them.
00:26:37
Speaker 3: But to not act as though he didn't have a say or a role. And he was portraying himself, and this may very well all be true, but I was the man stuck in the middle, and I was trying so hard, and I couldn't get anybody. I was trying to be the bridge, and I couldn't figure it out.
00:26:53
Speaker 1: To your point on that, you do have a good memory. Quote, I spoke to the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists involved on both sides to try and find mutual resolution for all, but the venue's and promoter's decision was final. Coming off the tour was the promoter's decision. It was not mine. About Macklemore. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me. I would never let fans down who made plans.
00:27:29
Speaker 2: Look, I understand.
00:27:29
Speaker 1: So if he's saying, if it were me, I wouldn't have kicked him off.
00:27:33
Speaker 2: Well, he should have said that then.
00:27:35
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:27:36
Speaker 2: And that is where.
00:27:36
Speaker 1: That would have gone a long way.
00:27:38
Speaker 3: That is where you would have said, hell yeah, Ed.
00:27:41
Speaker 2: Like, I appreciate that.
00:27:42
Speaker 1: But then the next thing he would have had to say was, yeah, I am not going to be a part of this. This is my lineup. He can speak. If you don't like it, I'm not coming either.
00:27:53
Speaker 2: I'll find another venue.
00:27:55
Speaker 3: I mean, look, I understand how disruptive that is to so many fans because only stadiums that size could house... the amount of ticket holders who had already purchased tickets. And I understand what a mess that would have been, but I would, I wonder if other venues, if there would be other opportunities. I mean, look, I understand there was probably no, this is probably the least messy way to move forward for Ed Sheeran in the short term. I don't know long-term if it's the right choice and only time will tell.
00:28:26
Speaker 2: I don't know.
00:28:27
Speaker 1: Did he talk to those opening acts ahead of time? Did he talk to them? Did they have any say in this? Did he have any clue that if Macklemore came off, this is what he was going to be facing?
00:28:40
Speaker 2: I don't know that he would have anticipated that.
00:28:42
Speaker 3: However, I mean, several of these acts, Phineas, his house band, they had made statements, pro-Palestine statements, plenty of times. The house band were the founding members of a Palestine movement within Ireland. Phineas and his sister, Billie Eilish, had participated in a celebrity fundraiser. So he had to have known that this was a sentiment shared by pretty much everyone on his tour.
00:29:09
Speaker 1: There's nothing, right? When he put his statement out, everybody had already bailed on the tour?
00:29:13
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:29:13
Speaker 1: So there was nothing he could do to get them back. Was there nothing he could have talked to them about ahead of time that kept them From bouncing.
00:29:21
Speaker 2: Doesn't sound like it.
00:29:22
Speaker 1: Dang gum. Here we go. And this is part that made your skin crawl a little bit here. Quote, I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together. This won't ever change. Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they're about unity, escapism, love, and a place where everybody feel welcome. I am not complicit. I have my personal views on the devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them and it doesn't mean I don't care, nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own personal way. That's fair, and that's fine, right?
00:30:00
Speaker 2: It's absolutely fair. It's just vague.
00:30:02
Speaker 1: Just in this hot moment, it was like almost not acknowledging the heat.
00:30:09
Speaker 2: Correct.
00:30:09
Speaker 1: Not acknowledging the frustration on fans of Split in the Arena. I don't know, Robes. That was, please, trust me. I'm a good dude, and I feel strongly about this. Not going to tell you which way.
00:30:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it was one of those, I remember walking away from reading his statement thinking of one of our favorite lines, not to make it comedic, but let's lighten the mood here, from Vince Vaughn in Couples Therapy, I know my truth. Yeah.
00:30:37
Speaker 2: That's what it felt like. He was saying, I know my truth.
00:30:40
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:30:41
Speaker 1: I got to go back and watch that today. It was a shark attack to him. Everybody else, he had a scratch on his leg.
00:30:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, like maybe a coral scratched him. But he claimed a shark attacked him. He said he was a survivor.
00:30:54
Speaker 3: And everyone was laughing at him.
00:30:56
Speaker 2: He got really upset. He goes like, I know my truth. That is what Ed Sheeran's statement.
00:31:01
Speaker 3: He does this.
00:31:02
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. I don't care how hot everything has gotten. I know my truth. And look, we love Ed Sheeran.
00:31:10
Speaker 3: This is the reason why I got the tickets for you, because he's one of your all-time favorite artists.
00:31:15
Speaker 1: Got every album sitting in there of Ed Sheeran's.
00:31:18
Speaker 3: Yes, our song is an Ed Sheeran, a very little known, is how I.
00:31:23
Speaker 1: Should say it. It'd be called The B-Sides.
00:31:25
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, and Deep Cuts. We knew he probably wasn't going to play it. I was hoping that maybe, what if he had played that song? Yes, we have a song we love that you probably, I didn't know it until you- Sent it to me, and then it just kind of became our song.
00:31:41
Speaker 1: If he played that, I would have grabbed anybody nearby to marry us on the spot while that song was playing.
00:31:47
Speaker 2: I would have bawled.
00:31:47
Speaker 1: Oh, my goodness. We have to do this now. But some more here, though, of the statement we're hoping to give you. There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics. My audience includes young people, often children of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end. Peace. I don't do it because there are kids in my show.
00:32:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, and the point that I think is oh so ironic about that statement is Macklemore's whole purpose is about the kids. Like that is his main, when he's talking about what's happening in Palestine, he's talking about the kids.
00:32:31
Speaker 2: He referenced his own daughter. And that is where his focus is.
00:32:35
Speaker 3: So I just think it is a little bit ironic that Ed Sheeran actually used, and I'm not saying used that he was not being forthright. I believe him when he says it's because of the young kids in the audience. When Macklemore's saying it's because of the young people of the world who are being murdered senselessly.
00:32:54
Speaker 1: Oh man, this is a really long statement, babe.
00:32:57
Speaker 2: It's really long and it doesn't say much.
00:32:58
Speaker 1: And it doesn't say anything at all.
00:33:00
Speaker 3: And he's getting some, look, no big, and I shouldn't say, I'm not trying to minimize who's spoken out. It isn't like some major artist. But there are some folks who are starting to speak out and up against Ed Sheeran as well. I don't know if that's going to grow. But what has been said was fairly mean-spirited and harsh towards him.
00:33:23
Speaker 1: Again, these are artists, ropes, musicians.
00:33:26
Speaker 2: They take this seriously.
00:33:28
Speaker 1: They take the right to speak and to be anti-establishment seriously.
00:33:33
Speaker 3: Yes.
00:33:33
Speaker 1: And you tell them they can't speak, that's problematic. Robes are still, let me pull this up. I know several more stops. The tour doesn't wrap up until the end of the year. Also, certainly November, maybe even December. But he has, how many more stops we got here? What is this, Robes?
00:33:48
Speaker 3: Well, Philadelphia is, as of this recording this weekend, he's got Boston, which was the Gillette Stadium debacle next weekend.
00:33:56
Speaker 1: Two there after that.
00:33:57
Speaker 2: And then where does he go after Boston?
00:33:58
Speaker 1: He's got Atlanta, he's got Indianapolis, Charlotte, Arlington, two in Hollywood, Florida, and one in Tampa. That's where he wraps up on November the 7th.
00:34:06
Speaker 2: And then goes to South America after that, correct?
00:34:08
Speaker 1: Yeah, so at least 10 more shows, 10 plus here in the U.S. to do. There are stories, I haven't looked into it well enough, how deep of a dive on how ticket sales are, if they're still available at some of these shows. Don't know also, Robes, if he's going to be able to get any opening act. Maybe he'll start grabbing some local Boston talent or something like that.
00:34:29
Speaker 3: Possibly, but do any of those artists feel like they'll have the stain on them if they now join?
00:34:35
Speaker 2: It's like basically when union workers go on strike. If you come in and now you're a rat.
00:34:44
Speaker 3: So I'm just curious if any of those artists, if there are or would be any artists that he would try to tap, if they would be concerned about now being labeled traitors in the music industry.
00:34:57
Speaker 1: So to speak. Last two questions for everybody. Last two questions for you. One, will people start to demand money back in this tour? They're not getting for what they paid for, first of all, an opening act of some kind that they knew. Okay. But you're there to see Ed Sheeran. I don't know legally if they have any recourse.
00:35:20
Speaker 2: I don't either. I don't know.
00:35:21
Speaker 1: But do you think they'll get pissed enough that this will become something and people start asking for their money?
00:35:26
Speaker 3: There may be some people who do, and I think it may be some people who are angry at Ed Sheeran even for his non-stance. I mean, there is going to be backlash of some kind, and that would not be uncalled for, I think. And I think it might also, who knows what's in the fine print, When you get your ticket, it might say, you know, opening act subject to change.
00:35:46
Speaker 2: That very well may be in there.
00:35:47
Speaker 3: And I wouldn't be surprised if it was because things happen and people pull out and there are issues on the road. So I imagine they've got legal protections in the fine print when you bought your tickets.
00:35:57
Speaker 1: Does it say opening act subject to change or not be there? The second question is, is there any chance in hell he does not address this in some way on that stage in Philadelphia?
00:36:12
Speaker 3: I think he has to. I think he has to. And we'll all be waiting for it.
00:36:18
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're going to be watching. All right. That's the latest. It's not over. What was the title I had? It's the, oh, Craft Mac and Sheeran.
00:36:29
Speaker 3: Yes, Craft Mac and Sheeran is what you called it. That was a really clever title. Maybe we'll call the episode that.
00:36:35
Speaker 1: But an unlikely trio. Folks, we always appreciate you. I'm TJ. That's Robes. We'll see you soon.