Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour has lost every one of its supporting acts within the space of a day, after Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Irish band Beoga and Danish pop group Lukas Graham each withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour following onstage comments in support of Palestine.
The departures came hours after Sheeran published a lengthy Instagram statement confirming that a group of stadium owners, including New England Patriots owner and prominent Israel donor Robert Kraft, had refused to host the tour if Macklemore continued to appear on the bill.
The sequence began on 4 September, when Macklemore told the crowd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” should know “we have not forgotten about them,” adding the words “free Palestine.” The comments drew a petition for his removal from the Israeli American Council and opposition from several venue owners, ultimately leading the tour promoter to take him off the tour.
Sheeran wrote that the decision was not his. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” he said, adding that he had spent the week trying to find a resolution before the venue owners and promoter held firm.
Finneas, scheduled for six South American dates in November, was first to announce his exit on Tuesday. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote on social media. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Irish singer Aaron Rowe, who had been set for the 10 remaining North American dates, followed. Rowe framed his decision in historical terms. “As Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Beoga, Sheeran’s backing band of more than a decade, announced their departure citing the “silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies,” describing the stadium opportunity as one “not lost on us” but insufficient reason to stay. Lukas Graham’s frontman Lukas Forchhammer put it more bluntly: “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 withdrawals have drawn broader public reaction. Children’s educator and YouTube personality Ms Rachel wrote on Instagram that Sheeran “had an opportunity to show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine” and that he had instead “caved.” Singer Kehlani, whose own pro-Palestine activism led to a Cornell University concert cancellation last year, expressed support for Macklemore, noting that “a LOT of the venues / owners are rallied together this way.”
