Supporting acts leave Ed Sheeran tour after Macklemore removal
Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour after Macklemore was removed over pro-Palestinian remarks.
All four supporting acts scheduled for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour have withdrawn, citing the removal of fellow opening act Macklemore after comments supporting Palestine.
Finneas withdrew from six South American dates, while Aaron Rowe departed the 10 remaining North American shows. Irish band Beoga and Danish pop group Lukas Graham also announced their withdrawals from the US tour.
The departures followed Macklemore’s 4 September performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where he said “free Palestine” and addressed the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Israeli American Council subsequently petitioned for his removal.
Sheeran said in a statement that venue owners and the promoter made the decision, after some venues threatened not to host the tour if Macklemore remained. He said Macklemore’s removal was the promoter’s decision and not his own.
Finneas said artists should not be silenced when speaking up for oppressed people. Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham similarly criticised the use of financial and institutional power to limit discussion of the conflict.
The Guardian reported that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, said his objection was based on Macklemore’s “recent actions” and what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Those claims are disputed.
