Rapper Macklemore Claims Chase Center Refuses to Host His 'Free Palestine' Tour

In a new Instagram post , musician and outspoken advocate Macklemore called out San Francisco's Chase Center as one of nine major American arenas that refused to book dates for his current "Free Palestine" tour, which itself came to be after he was ousted as Ed Sheeran's opener earlier this fall. As KRON4 reports , a new Instagram post from the rapper puts Chase Center in the crosshairs for declining to book his "Free Palestine" tour along with Manhattan's Madison Square Garden, Newark's Prudential Center, Brooklyn's Barclays Center, New York's UBS Arena, three Los Angeles venues (Intuit Dome, Kia Forum, Crypto.com Arena) and Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena. That last one likely cuts especially deep given Macklemore aka 43-year-old Benjamin Hammond Haggerty is a proud Seattle native. “By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year,” Macklemore writes. “But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table. The doors were closed. The conversations were all different, but the result was the same. The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by BEN (@macklemore) As Rolling Stone previously reported , Macklemore was dropped as the opener of Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour in September after making pro-Palestinian statements across several tour stops. Sheeran's actions were vociferously supported — and possibly instigated — by New England Patriots chairman and CEO Robet Kraft ahead of the pop star's planned tour dates at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium. Backlash against Sheeran was swift. Notable figures to condemn Sheeran's decision, per Variety , included educator and advocate Ms. Rachel, Hacks star Hannah Einbinder, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. In his latest social media statement, Macklemore notes that he doesn't intend to let venues like Chase Center prevent him from continuing his tour and spreading his message. “I dream of a world where saying 'Free Palestine' is not controversial. It is expected," Macklemore concludes. "There will be more shows for Palestine. We’ll keep working with other artists and organizers, continuing where we left off in Europe.” Related : Chase Center’s Thrive City Is Now a Full-Time, Boozy Entertainment Zone