Robert Kraft Confirms He Blocked Macklemore From Gillette Shows

Patriots owner Robert Kraft said Monday he opposed Macklemore performing at two Gillette Stadium shows later this month on the U.S. leg of pop star Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour due to the rapper’s “recent actions” and “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”

“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech,” Kraft said in a statement issued to Front Office Sports and other media outlets. “Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”

Kraft’s statement followed a social media post earlier in the day from Macklemore announcing he would not be opening for the remaining 10 shows after “Ed [Sheeran] told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.” 

Macklemore opened two shows of the tour on Sept. 4 and 5 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On the first night, the rapper said to the crowd, “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: ‘Free Palestine.’” He added, “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.”

Rolling Stone reported that on the second night in New Jersey, Macklemore addressed Jewish members of the audience: “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”

Throughout the performances of his song “Hind’s Hall,” originally released on May 6, 2024, in support of college students who were protesting the war, screens displayed videos and imagery from Gaza, showing destruction from the ongoing conflict in the region. The song’s title is a reference to Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall being renamed by protesters in honor of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. 

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel perpetrated by Hamas and the ensuing response by Israeli forces in Gaza, the rapper has been vocal about his support for a ceasefire. It is not the first time he has used his platform to advocate for social causes, including LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, and he has been a critic of President Donald Trump since his first term in office.

His appearances at MetLife Stadium led to backlash from supporters of Israel, including the singer Pink, and a petition from the Israeli American Council calling for Sheeran to remove the rapper from the rest of the tour.  

Eight of the remaining 10 tour stops are slated for NFL stadiums: Lincoln Financial Field, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, Bank of America Stadium, AT&T Stadium, Raymond James Stadium, and Gillette, the Foxborough, Massachusetts, venue owned by a sports subsidiary of The Kraft Group and home to the Patriots. A representative for Mercedes-Benz Stadium told FOS, “The only comment we have is to confirm that there is a change to the line up for the Atlanta show.” Representatives for the other venues did not respond to FOS’s request for comment.

Kraft’s statement did not address Macklemore’s claim that the Patriots owner had lobbied to keep the rapper from performing at other concerts during the tour at different stadiums.

Following the behind-the-scenes pressure to remove Macklemore from the tour, the rapper’s statement acknowledged that “Ed [Sheeran] was in a fucked up position. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides.’”

Kraft said in his response, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.

“I agree with Macklemore. Too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate. Over many decades, I have directed resources to Palestine and created athletic and entrepreneurial opportunities for Palestinians who I admire and respect. Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive.”

Kraft has been a staunch public advocate of fighting antisemitism. 

“Much of my time and attention for the last decade has been focused on the fight against antisemitism and hate of all kinds, and I feel a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed,” he said. “I have tremendous respect for Ed [Sheeran] and his music, particularly his unique ability to bring people together and spread joy, and I have always been proud to welcome him and his fans to Gillette Stadium.

“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same—peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”

(Sheeran performed at Kraft’s 2022 wedding.)

Macklemore closed his statement by saying, “I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed, I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine. But if those two words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”

Representatives for Sheeran and Macklemore did not respond to requests for comment.