Lorde has never been subtle, and this week she proved it again. The singer posted an Instagram Story Monday showing a jacket she hand-decorated with“FREE PALESTINE!!!!!!”that she wore during her Austin City Limits set two days earlier. The detail that got everyone talking: she tagged Robert Kraft, the billionaire whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, directly in the photo.
The tag lands in the middle of an ongoing fight over the Loop Tour. Kraft reportedly urged stadium owners to block Ed Sheeran from their venues unless he dropped Macklemore as an opener, following Macklemore’s“Free Palestine”chants and Gaza visuals at early tour dates. Sheeran’s promoter then terminated Macklemore’s contract. Macklemore responded by donating his one million dollar paycheck to Palestinian aid, and openers Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham all left the tour in solidarity. Kraft has said his push was about protecting the Jewish community and has pledged support to Gaza humanitarian organizations.
Macklemore is now planning a Free Palestine Tour with dates in Dublin, London and Paris, and fans are already speculating about surprise guests. Lorde hasn’t confirmed anything. But after that tag, nobody’s ruling it out. So we have to ask: should artists be able to say whatever they want on tour, or should venues get a say?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.