Why did all of Ed Sheeran’s support acts drop out of tour?
Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour is facing a major lineup shift after four supporting acts announced their departures following Macklemore’s removal from the tour over pro-Palestinian comments made onstage.
Macklemore has been dropped from the tour after speaking about Palestine during a September 4 performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The rapper said “Free Palestine” while introducing his protest song “Hind’s Hall” and addressed his support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel during the performance.
Ed Sheeran addressed the situation Tuesday, saying the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour’s promoters and venues rather than by him. He said several venues had communicated that they would not host the tour if Macklemore remained on the lineup, and that he had spoken with venue owners, promoters and activists in an effort to find a resolution.
Sheeran also explained that he generally chooses not to use his professional platform for political discussion, citing the diverse audience at his shows. At the same time, he said he respected Macklemore’s decision to speak about issues he believes in and described his own approach as an effort to maintain dialogue and create a space for people from different backgrounds.
Following Ed Sheeran’s statement, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas announced that they would no longer participate in upcoming tour dates. Rowe and Lukas Graham had been scheduled to perform on remaining North American dates, while Beoga had been performing with Sheeran during his sets. Finneas was scheduled to join the tour for six South American dates.
The departures came as the tour prepares to resume its remaining stadium dates. Macklemore had been scheduled to perform at eight of Ed Sheeran’s ten remaining shows, with upcoming stops including Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, said Macklemore’s recent comments and what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery contributed to the decision regarding his participation at the venue. Macklemore has disputed accusations of antisemitism and distinguished his criticism of Israel from criticism of Jewish people.
Featured image courtesy Facebook / Ed Sheeran
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