{"id":617323,"date":"2026-09-16T01:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T01:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617323\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T01:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T01:04:10","slug":"all-supporting-acts-withdraw-from-ed-sheerans-tour-in-solidarity-with-macklemore-ed-sheeran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617323\/","title":{"rendered":"All supporting acts withdraw from Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour in solidarity with Macklemore | Ed Sheeran"},"content":{"rendered":"

All four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran<\/a>\u2019s Loop tour have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore<\/a>, as backlash grows against his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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<\/a> from venue owners to remove Macklemore<\/a> for pro-Palestine comments made during two shows at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium.<\/p>\n

In a two-minute speech on 4 September, the Grammy<\/a>-winning artist told the audience he wanted the people of Gaza and \u201cthe occupied West Bank\u201d to know \u201cwe have not forgotten about them\u201d, along with the words \u201cfree Palestine\u201d. The remark prompted a petition<\/a> calling for Macklemore\u2019s removal from the tour from the Israeli American Council and the opposition of some venue owners \u2013 including Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots<\/a> and a prominent donor to Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,\u201d Finneas wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cI have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a> his own withdrawal from the tour. \u201cI don\u2019t take the decision lightly,\u201d he wrote<\/a> on Instagram. \u201cEd has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Irish band Beoga, which performs as Sheeran\u2019s backing band, announced after Rowe that they would also depart the US tour to protest the \u201csilencing of Macklemore<\/a> by zionist lobbies\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us,\u201d they wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Danish pop band Lukas Graham also dropped out of the tour on Tuesday afternoon. \u201cWe 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,\u201d wrote<\/a> lead singer Lukas Forchhammer on the band\u2019s social media. \u201cMoney doesn\u2019t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody\u2019s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we\u2019re allowed to acknowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The abrupt withdrawals of Sheeran\u2019s 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 he was \u201cappalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine\u201d and \u201cthe suffering and pain caused on both sides\u201d, he said that attempts to broker conversations among parties had been unsuccessful and the \u201cvenue\u2019s and the promoter\u2019s decision was final\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacklemore coming off tour was the promoter\u2019s decision, it was not mine,\u201d he wrote<\/a> in a multipage post on Instagram. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,\u201d he concluded. \u201cI know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tour withdrawals join a growing chorus of backlash against Macklemore\u2019s removal, including numerous politicians and Ms Rachel, the children\u2019s educator and YouTube star, who wrote<\/a> on Instagram: \u201cEd Sheeran had an opportunity [to] show that we won\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kehlani<\/a>, the singer whose pro-Palestine activism led to the cancellation<\/a> of a concert at Cornell University last year, commented on social media in support of Macklemore: \u201cA LOT of the venues \/ owners are rallied together this way. honored to know you brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his own statement<\/a> 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\u2019s \u201crecent actions\u201d and \u201ca broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same \u2013 peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n