All four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore, as backlash grows to his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine.
Finneas, the singer who was scheduled to open for Sheeran on six South American dates in November, withdrew from the tour on Tuesday afternoon, hours after Sheeran posted his own lengthy statement to Instagram explaining pressure from venue owners to remove Macklemore for pro-Palestine comments made during two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
In a two-minute speech on 4 September, the Grammy-winning artist told the audience he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”, along with the words “free Palestine”. The remark prompted a petition calling for Macklemore’s removal from the tour from the Israeli American Council and the opposition of some venue owners – including Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent donor to Israel.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote on social media. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
The decision came shortly after Aaron Rowe, an Irish singer who opened for Sheeran in Australia earlier this year and was scheduled for the 10 remaining dates in North America, announced his own withdrawal from the tour. “I don’t take the decision lightly,” he wrote on Instagram. “Ed has been a friends to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.
“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
The Irish band Beoga shortly after joined Rowe in departing the US tour to protest the “silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies”.
“We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us,” they wrote on social media. “We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be. We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people.”
The Danish pop band Lukas Graham also dropped out of the tour on Tuesday afternoon. “We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them,” wrote lead singer Lukas Forchhammer on the band’s social media. “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.”
The abrupt withdrawals of the Sheeran’s opening acts came hours after the English singer confirmed that Kraft, along with several other stadium owners, refused to allow the tour to play at their venues if Macklemore continued to open for him. Though Sheeran wrote that the was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and “the suffering and pain caused on both sides,” he said that attempts to broker conversations between parties was unsuccessful, and the “venue’s and the promoter’s decision was final”.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” he wrote in a multi-page post on Instagram. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”
“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” he concluded. “I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
The tour withdrawals join a growing chorus of backlash to Macklemore’s removal, including numerous politicians and Ms Rachel, the children’s educator and Youtube star, who wrote on Instagram: “Ed Sheeran had an opportunity [to] show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine. Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows. A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak on it.”
Kehlani, the singer whose pro-Palestine activism led to the cancellation of a concert at Cornell University last year, commented on social media in support of Macklemore: “A LOT of the venues / owners are rallied together this way. honored to know you brother.”
In his own statement on Monday, Kraft did not deny refusing to allow Macklemore on stage at his Gillette Stadium outside Boston, and said the decision was based on both Macklemore’s “recent actions” and “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.
“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate,” he said.
