All of the remaining support acts on Ed Sheeran’s US tour have quit, after the rapper Macklemore was dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. Among them were Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, who said in a statement: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.” Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham also announced their departure. Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night, dropped out too. The announcements came hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza, and stressed he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran said 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.” Earlier this month, Macklemore – real name Benjamin Haggerty – called for a “free Palestine” and showed images of devastation in Gaza during two concerts in New Jersey. His comments drew criticism from Jewish groups, after which some venues put pressure on the tour promoters to drop him from the tour. In his statement, external, Sheeran said he had spoken with the venues “at length all week to try and build a bridge” – but the promoters, Messina Touring Group, had ultimately pulled the plug.
While the star said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and that the “suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy”, he also attempted to explain his decision to keep political issues at arm’s length. “I am not complicit,” he wrote. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.
“Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.” He continued: “There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. “Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: Peace.
“I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.” Sheeran added that, “as with all my support acts”, Macklemore had been allowed to choose his own setlist. If the statement was meant to placate his fans and other artists on the line-up, it has seemingly had the opposite effect.
Writing on Instagram, Lukas Graham said: “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.” Rowe, who opened on the Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and resumed as a support act for the US in June, said that he did not “take the decision [to quit] lightly,” adding: “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.” The controversy began on 4 September, when Macklemore performed at Ed Sheeran’s concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He told the audience: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.” He then performed his song Hind’s Hall, which is dedicated to pro-Palestinian protestors at Columbia University and condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza, while video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen.
Some of the audience cheered – but there was almost immediate criticism online. The Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour; while the campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda – a claim that was amplified by the pop star Pink, who reposted it on Instagram. The next night, Macklemore returned to the same stage and directly addressed his “Jewish brothers and sisters” in the audience. “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you,” he said, adding that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
Israel rejects allegations of genocide. It says its troops conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law. The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to an unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. During Israel’s military campaign in Gaza more than 73,780 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
After days of press coverage, Macklemore announced on Monday that he had been dropped from the line-up. In a statement on Instagram, he said the boycott had been organised by Robert Kraft – the billionaire owner of the Gilette Stadium in Massachusetts. Kraft – who once hired Ed Sheeran to play at his wedding – confirmed he’d made the decision to bar Macklemore, saying his venue would not “provide a platform for hate speech,” accusing the rapper of “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric”. “I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate,” Kraft said.
However, he did not address the claim that he’d asked other venues to put pressure on the tour. Tour promoter, Messina Touring Group, told Rolling Stone magazine that it had been told by venues that they would not allow Macklemore to perform, “which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.” Many of the acts who withdrew on Tuesday night said Kraft’s involvement had influenced their decision. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation,” said Lukas Graham. “Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.” In his statement, Macklemore said he empathised with the difficult position Sheeran had been put in, but criticised the English singer for not taking a stance.
“Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed,” he wrote.
He also emphasised that, although he was only able to complete two shows on the tour, if his words succeeded in “turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.” Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after ‘Free Palestine’ speech Macklemore says ‘Free Palestine’ call was not an attack on Jewish people US rapper Macklemore cancels Dubai show over Sudan war
