Macklemore kicks off his “Free Palestine” tour with a call for unity just over a month after being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour over his political remarks onstage: “Six weeks ago, it was two words. Two words is all that it took. Two words that are rooted in love and liberation. Not against anybody, not divisive. Not a call for hatred. But a call to recognize our shared humanity. Free Palestine. I said free Palestine! The same thing that I want for all of us, freedom, dignity, the right to exist without fear. Being able to raise our children in the homes that we grew up in, not having to prove our humanity to the rest of the world." variety.com/2026/music/globa…

Neil Young has filed a $10 million lawsuit against Donald Trump, alleging copyright infringement over the ongoing use of Young’s song “Rockin’ in the Free World” as the president’s walk-up music at midterm election rallies. The suit says the classic 1989 song is “a blistering anthem that contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless and forgotten. The lyrics pain vivid street-level portraits — a mother discarding her baby, addicts lost in despair, garbage piling in the shadows of prosperity — while the repeated chorus delivers a savage irony, celebrating freedom that clearly isn’t shared by all. In short, the song is the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for.” variety.com/2026/music/news/…