Firstpost ·
Arts, culture, entertainment and media
Ed Sheeran tour crisis deepens as all four opening acts quit over Macklemore removal
Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour faces fresh controversy as Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham withdraw after Macklemore was removed over pro-Palestinian comments.
Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour has been hit by a fresh wave of departures after all four supporting acts withdrew from upcoming dates following Macklemore’s removal from the tour over his pro-Palestinian comments.
Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham have all announced that they will no longer perform on the tour. Their decisions came after Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal, saying the rapper was dropped following pressure from venues and the tour promoter.
The developments have turned what began as a dispute over an opening act’s political comments into a wider debate over artistic freedom, the role of musicians on major concert platforms and whether performers should be able to speak about the Israel-Gaza conflict from the stage.
Macklemore was removed from the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour after making pro-Palestinian comments during his performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5.
During his first appearance, the rapper said he wanted to use the stadium platform to say “Free Palestine” and told the audience that people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank had not been forgotten. He also performed Hind’s Hall, his protest song about the war in Gaza.
The comments drew criticism from pro-Israel groups, including the Israeli American Council, which launched a petition calling for his removal. Some stadium owners subsequently told the promoter that they would not allow the concerts to go ahead with Macklemore on the lineup.
Messina Touring Group, the promoter for the US leg of the tour, said venues had warned that keeping Macklemore on the bill could result in the cancellation of shows affecting hundreds of thousands of fans.
Macklemore subsequently confirmed that he had been removed from the tour. He said he had discussed the situation with Sheeran, whom he considers a friend, but maintained that his support for Palestinians would not change.
Ed Sheeran says the decision was not his
Sheeran addressed the controversy in a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday, saying he wanted to clarify what had happened.
According to the singer, Macklemore had asked to join the tour last year and Sheeran agreed because he respected him as an artist. He said he allowed Macklemore, like his other support acts, to choose his own set.
But after Macklemore's MetLife performances, Sheeran said several venues objected to having him on the bill.
“I was informed this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance,” Sheeran said, according to The Guardian. He added that he had attempted to bring the various sides together but ultimately could not change the decision made by the venues and promoter.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote.
He also said he would not abandon fans who had made plans to attend the concerts or the touring crew and musicians who depend on the shows for their livelihoods.
Sheeran says he has ‘personal views’ on the conflict
The singer also pushed back against the suggestion that remaining publicly neutral meant he did not care about the conflict.
“I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” Sheeran wrote, describing the suffering and pain on both sides as a human tragedy.
He said he had chosen to use his platform to bring people from different backgrounds together rather than publicly take a position on the conflict.
“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t care,” he wrote.
Sheeran also said he had spent the week attempting to “build bridges” between the different parties involved.
“I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too,” he said.
Hours after Sheeran's statement, Irish singer Aaron Rowe announced that he was withdrawing from the remaining North American dates.
Rowe, who had been scheduled to perform on the final 10 North American dates, said the decision was not one he had taken lightly. He described Sheeran as a friend who had changed his life, but said he could not continue with the tour under the circumstances.
“As Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” Rowe wrote. He said he could not stand by while wealthy venue owners were able to silence people speaking about Palestinian suffering. Rowe ended his statement by writing “Free Palestine”.
Irish traditional band Beoga, who have worked with Sheeran for more than a decade, subsequently announced their departure from the US tour. The band said they believed in dialogue and wanted to highlight the plight of Palestinians. Their withdrawal came despite acknowledging the significance of the opportunity to perform in major stadiums alongside Sheeran.
Danish pop band Lukas Graham then announced that they too would withdraw. Lead singer Lukas Forchhammer said artists should be able to speak about war, civilians being killed and children affected by conflict.
“Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation,” Forchhammer said. “Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge.”
Finneas became the fourth supporting act to withdraw. The singer and producer had been scheduled to open for Sheeran on six dates in South America in November. Announcing his decision on social media, he said artists should not be silenced when speaking up for people they believe are oppressed.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote. “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
His withdrawal means that all four of the announced supporting acts have now pulled out in the wake of the Macklemore controversy.
Robert Kraft defends Macklemore’s removal
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, has defended the decision to prevent Macklemore from performing at the venue.
Kraft said his decision was based on Macklemore’s recent comments as well as what he described as a broader history of rhetoric and imagery that he believes has been offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community. He also said the decision was not intended to dismiss Palestinian suffering.
Kraft has offered to meet Macklemore to discuss their differences, saying that his ultimate goal is peace, an end to suffering and an end to hate.
Macklemore has maintained that his comments were directed at the treatment of Palestinians and were not intended as criticism of Jewish people.
What happens to Ed Sheeran’s tour now?
The Loop Tour is expected to continue, but without the supporting acts who had been announced for its upcoming dates. The North American leg is scheduled to resume in Philadelphia on September 19 and conclude in Tampa in November. The withdrawals mean Sheeran now faces a tour increasingly defined by the fallout from the decision to remove Macklemore.
For now, Sheeran says the decision was ultimately outside his control, while Macklemore's fellow artists have chosen to leave rather than continue under those circumstances.