NewzEd Sheeran’s international tour has been thrown into crisis, with one opening act, the rapper Macklemore, dropped from the tour’s US dates for his onstage support of Palestine, and all of the British singer’s other openers quitting to protest the removal. On Monday, Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, said he would bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts this month. Macklemore, who made pro-Palestinian remarks during shows in New Jersey, said he had been removed from the rest of Sheeran’s American tour as well.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote on Instagram, dropping out of the tour. “I stand with Palestine and its people.” Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP On Tuesday, Finneas, a producer who is also Billie Eilish’s brother, the Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, the Irish band Beoga and the Danish band Lukas Graham all withdrew from their opening slots on the tour, expressing support for both Macklemore and the Palestinian people. Macklemore, a rapper best known for 2012’s “Thrift Shop,” has publicly advocated for Palestinian rights since Israel began its years-long bombing campaign in Gaza after the October 7 attacks.
Opening for Sheeran earlier this month at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the rapper wore a black-and-white keffiyeh tied around his neck. “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place, was so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” he said, according to video of the event. He added that “to all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.” Macklemore has regularly performed at pro-Palestinian rallies since 2023.
In 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall,” named after the building taken over by Columbia student protesters, who renamed it in honor of Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza. His comments at Sheeran’s show prompted criticism from the singer Pink and a petition against his appearances. On Monday, Macklemore announced on Instagram he’d been dropped from Sheeran’s remaining US tour dates.
Macklemore has pointed the blame squarely at Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran and Macklemore were scheduled to pe… All the support acts for Sheeran’s ongoing tour have no quit. The artist Finneas and three other supporting acts announced they had quit British superstar Ed Sheeran’s tour on Tuesday, after rapper Macklemore was dropped for making pro-Palestinian comments while performing.
But Finneas, a performer also famous for work with his superstar sister Billie Eilish, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, and Lukas Graham of Denmark all posted that they were quitting Sheeran’s “Loop Tour”. While opening for Sheeran earlier this month at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine!” and told Palestinians they were “not forgotten.” “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote in a lengthy Instagram post, adding that the rapper’s contract was ended by the promoter, Messina Touring Group. According to Sheeran, venues on the tour “communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”.
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