NEW YORK — Rapper Macklemore has been removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour after several venues told the tour's promoter they would not host a show featuring the performer, following onstage remarks he made in support of Palestinians during a September 4 concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran's tour, confirmed the decision in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. "As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran's U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans," the statement read. "After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates."

The controversy traces back to Macklemore's set opening for Sheeran on September 4, when he told the MetLife Stadium crowd why he had joined the tour. "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.' I said, 'Free Palestine!'" Macklemore told the crowd. "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." He also directly addressed Jewish concertgoers during the speech,........

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