Ed Sheeran has lost all of the artists scheduled as opening acts on his North American tour, as well as his touring band, in light of the removal of Macklemore following his pro-Palestinian remarks during his performances on the tour. Sheeran’s tour is scheduled to resume Saturday in Philadelphia, with his eight remaining shows originally slated to feature Macklemore.
Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Irish band Beoga announced Tuesday that they were withdrawing from Sheeran’s Loop Tour, with each citing support for Macklemore and Palestinians. Rowe had been added as a replacement for Macklemore for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga had been performing as Sheeran’s backing band. Finneas was scheduled to join the tour in South America later this year.
The departures followed Macklemore’s removal from the tour after he voiced support for Palestine during his Sept. 5 performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. Macklemore said several U.S. venues had indicated they would not allow him to perform, and he attributed the pressure in part to billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium. Kraft said Macklemore’s removal was prompted by his recent comments as well as what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Sheeran addressed the controversy earlier on Tuesday, saying he had attempted to find a way to keep Macklemore on the tour but that the final decision belonged to the promoter and venues. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote. He said he has personal views about the Israel-Palestine conflict but chooses not to use his concerts as political forums, adding, “I am not complicit.” Though Macklemore expressed that he harbored no personal malice toward the headlining singer, he described the pressure applied by arena management as a key factor in his forced exit.
Upon announcing his departure from Sheeran’s tour, Finneas wrote that “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” while Beoga and Rowe referenced Ireland’s history with colonialism and their support for Palestinian causes. Lukas Graham described its withdrawal as “a difficult decision” and wrote, “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
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