Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga performed at the opening night of Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour in Dublin on Monday, 26 October, as reported by RTÉ and Rolling Stone.
The 3Arena concert began a three-city European benefit series, with the guest lineup kept under wraps in the lead-up to the show.
Rolling Stone’s report also names Palestinian singer-songwriter Lina Makoul, Dead Prez rapper M-1 and Palestinian-American DJ and producer DJ Habibeats among the performers. Irish actor Liam Cunningham delivered the opening remarks.
For Beoga, the appearance followed their withdrawal from Ed Sheeran’s remaining US tour dates in solidarity with Macklemore. As Tone Deaf reported in September, the Irish folk band were among several acts who stepped away from upcoming shows after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s Loop tour following his onstage advocacy for Palestinians.
Hozier and Kneecap had also backed a specific appeal in the days before the benefit. Both signed an open letter published by the Irish Examiner on 23 October, asking Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene on behalf of 55 students from Gaza who had secured fully funded scholarships at Irish universities but been refused study visas.
The letter urged the government to enable the students to take up those places, connecting the artists’ support for Palestinians to an immediate campaign in Ireland.
Macklemore’s official tour page states that all proceeds will benefit organisations supporting Palestine and the Palestinian movement. It identifies PLUS1 as the registered charity powering gifts to the Macklemore Fund for Palestine.
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The series continues in Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October. The Dublin appearances do not confirm the guest lineups for either remaining show.
