'Free Palestine' tour: Hozier, Kneecap make surprise appearance with Macklemore
What's the story
Macklemore kicked off his Free Palestine tour in Dublin on Monday night, with a powerful message of love and liberation. The rapper's performance was attended by numerous supporters, including surprise guests Hozier and Kneecap. The event is part of a three-show series that will also take place in Paris and London this week. All proceeds from the tour are being donated to charities supporting Palestine.
Guest performances
Hozier and Kneecap also performed at the event
Hozier performed several songs, including Too Sweet, From Eden, and Work Song.
He also highlighted that 55 students in Gaza are waiting for their visas to be approved by the Irish government.
Irish rap trio Kneecap got the crowd hyped up with their energetic performance, while Palestinian-Israeli singer Lina Makoul delivered a hauntingly beautiful song without words.
Controversy
Macklemore was booted from Ed Sheeran's tour in September
To recall, on September 14, Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's US Loop tour after he said "free Palestine" on stage.
The statement went viral and drew criticism from pop star Pink and the Israeli American Council, which called for his removal.
At that time, promoter Messina Touring Group said they had been "notified by venues" that "they would not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup."
Speech
Macklemore addressed the controversy during his set
During his set, Macklemore addressed the controversy surrounding his political statement.
He said, "Six weeks ago, it was two words. Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation."
"And yet those two words are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean."
Conclusion
'We will continue to fight for collective liberation'
As confetti rained down on the audience, Macklemore left them with a final message: "I am proud to stand here on stage in solidarity with the Palestinian people."
"We will continue to fight for collective liberation until our last breath."
The rapper's Free Palestine tour will continue in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday.