Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour review – a triumph of a show with performances from Hozier, Kneecap and more

The events of the last six weeks have dramatically elevated Macklemore's profile after he was removed from Ed Sheeran's US tour following his speech about Palestine at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. The removal came after billionaire Robert Kraft led efforts to pressure Sheeran into dropping Macklemore. In response, every other artist on Sheeran's tour quit in solidarity, while Sheeran's tour continued amid significant criticism.

Macklemore capitalized on the publicity by launching his own European tour, playing in noticeably larger venues than his previous European tour. All proceeds from the tour are donated to organizations assisting Palestinians, with Dublin's 13,000-capacity 3Arena completely sold out, as are all other dates on the tour.

Solidarity Performances

The Dublin concert featured an impressive lineup of unannounced guests who showed their support for the cause. Palestinian American DJ Habibeats opened with Arabic-themed dance music, while political hip-hop duo Dead Prez also performed. The audience received video messages from actors Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon, as well as Julian Casablancas of The Strokes.

Local Heroes

The concert highlighted local artists committed to the Palestinian cause. Lina Makoul, the first Palestinian winner of Israel's The Voice, performed a set that began with a wordless vocal protesting censorship and ended with a song criticizing late-stage capitalism. Beoga, the County Kerry folk band who performed on Sheeran's Galway Girl but left his tour alongside Macklemore, were welcomed as returning heroes.

Powerful Performances

Hozier delivered a crowd-pleasing set backed by a string section, including hits like Take Me to Church and Too Sweet. He also performed a 19th-century folk ballad called The Prayer of Shields, with screens displaying a QR code linking to a petition supporting 55 Gaza students whose Irish visas were denied. Kneecap caused bedlam with their chaotic set that opened with a film featuring images of The Troubles and Sinéad O'Connor's infamous SNL appearance.

Macklemore's opening performance of Chant, a song about his addiction struggle, took on new meaning as a defiant statement following his recent experiences. He shifted attention from himself to the Palestinian cause while performing his hits, noting that the show "makes me feel glorious." He mentioned that Kneecap and Hozier were the first to agree to perform with him after he "called up a lot of people in the last six weeks."