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Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour Loses Every Opening Act After Macklemore's Removal

Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour triggered a mass walkout by the remaining opening acts and a statement from Sheeran.

Christian Brasch
Christian Brasch 3 min read
Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour Loses Every Opening Act After Macklemore's Removal
Ed Sheeran performs at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Photo by Patrick Cristiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

PHILADELPHIA – Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour has lost its entire opening lineup following the removal of Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage.

Macklemore made the comments during Sheeran's show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, including performing his song "Hind's Hall" and calling for a "free Palestine." The remarks drew criticism from several parties, including singer Pink and the Israeli-American Council, which petitioned for his removal from the tour.

On September 15, tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed that Macklemore would not perform on the remaining U.S. dates. In a statement to Rolling Stone, the promoter said it had been notified by multiple venues that they would not allow a concert to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup, which it said would have forced a cancellation impacting hundreds of thousands of fans.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, one of the venues on the tour, said in a statement that Macklemore's onstage material and what Kraft described as a history of rhetoric offensive to the Jewish community factored into the decision to bar him from performing at the stadium's September 25 and 26 shows.

Macklemore addressed his removal in a lengthy Instagram post, saying Sheeran's team made the decision after Kraft reportedly told Sheeran that other stadium owners would give Macklemore an ultimatum: leave the tour or the venues would not host it. He also said he pledged to donate the entire $1 million of his net earnings from the tour to Palestinian relief organizations.

In the days following, three of Sheeran's remaining opening acts, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Finneas, along with Sheeran's house band Beoga, withdrew from the tour in what they described as solidarity with Macklemore.

A screenshot of Lukas Graham's tour retraction statement via Instagram.

Sheeran addressed the situation publicly for the first time on September 16, saying the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the promoter, not by him, and that his contract was with Messina rather than with Sheeran directly. He said he generally avoids using his platform to make political statements.

Four days later, at his first concert since the controversy began, in Philadelphia, Sheeran addressed the situation directly. He called the October 7 attacks on Israel "horrific" and said they "compounded centuries of Jewish pain," while also describing what is happening in Gaza as "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate." He added that the situation in the West Bank "cannot be overlooked" and said it was a humanitarian issue he could no longer stay silent on. Protesters gathered outside the venue before the show, some repeating the same messaging that led to Macklemore's removal.

Sheeran is still continuing to perform the remaining tour dates without a formal opening act.

Sources

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