{"id":617951,"date":"2026-09-16T15:16:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617951\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T15:16:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T15:16:11","slug":"which-artists-have-pulled-out-of-ed-sheerans-tour-over-palestine-music-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617951\/","title":{"rendered":"Which artists have pulled out of Ed Sheeran\u2019s tour over Palestine? | Music News"},"content":{"rendered":"

All supporting acts for English pop star Ed Sheeran\u2019s upcoming US Loop Tour have quit in solidarity with rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour for supporting Palestine.<\/p>\n

Some of the other artists are Irish and have cited their own country\u2019s historical experience of suffering under occupation as the reason for their opposition to Israel\u2019s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.<\/p>\n

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Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, drew criticism after saying \u201cFree Palestine\u201d and making other pro-Palestine comments while on tour with Sheeran at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.<\/p>\n

He was ultimately dropped from the remainder of Sheeran\u2019s tour, partly under pressure from the billionaire owner of one of the venues, the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Robert Kraft<\/a>. On Tuesday, Sheeran blamed the tour\u2019s US promoter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of this message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said,\u201d Sheeran wrote. \u201cI spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who are the musicians and bands who have also quit the tour?<\/p>\n

Which artists are pulling out and why?<\/p>\n

In statements on their social media platforms shortly after Sheeran\u2019s announcement, American singer-songwriter Finneas, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Irish band Beoga and Danish pop band Lukas Graham announced they would be dropping out of the tour, which is scheduled to begin on September 19 in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Sheeran is set to kick off his North American tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Finneas, US singer-songwriter<\/p>\n

Finneas, who was scheduled to open for Sheeran in some American cities during the tour, announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he had decided to withdraw from the tour after Macklemore\u2019s expulsion.<\/p>\n

He and his sister, the multi-Grammy and Academy Award-winning pop singer Billie Eilish, have talked about their Irish family roots and have been outspoken about their support for Palestine before.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,\u201d he said<\/a> on Instagram on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stand with Palestine and its people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Aaron Rowe, Irish singer<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Rowe, who performed as part of Sheeran\u2019s Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and was to do 10 more dates in the US, said he has also decided to withdraw.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t take the decision lightly,\u201d he said<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this,\u201d he acknowledged.<\/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 he added.<\/p>\n

Beoga, Irish band<\/p>\n

Beoga is Sheeran\u2019s backing band. Yet on Tuesday, the group announced<\/a> on Instagram that it would also quit the US leg of the tour \u201cfollowing the silencing of Macklemore 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. We 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 they added.<\/p>\n

Lukas Graham, Danish band<\/p>\n

Announcing their withdrawal from the tour in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, lead singer Lukas Forchhammer wrote<\/a>: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\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 he said.<\/p>\n

How did the Macklemore controversy start?<\/p>\n

Macklemore opened a Sheeran show at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium earlier this month with a speech about Palestine.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them. I say free Palestine. I say free Lebanon. Free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n

The speech triggered an immediate backlash, and the Israeli-American Council started a petition to have Macklemore dropped from the tour.<\/p>\n

Macklemore defended his statements, and also his performance of the song Hind\u2019s Hall \u2013 dedicated to Hind Rajab, the five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces while stranded inside a car in Gaza \u2013 by stating that \u201cwanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the campus of Columbia University, was the site of a student protest in 2024 against Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza. The students occupied the hall and renamed it \u201cHind\u2019s Hall\u201d.<\/p>\n

How did Robert Kraft get involved in the row?<\/p>\n

In an Instagram post, Macklemore told fans: \u201cEd [Sheeran] told me that [Robert] Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also claimed that Sheeran told him Kraft had rallied other stadium owners, who collectively issued an ultimatum: \u201cIf Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kraft defended his involvement in preventing Macklemore from performing at his own stadium in a statement. He said, \u201cThis decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas \u2026 whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kraft\u2019s public statement on the issue did not address the claim that the billionaire lobbied other stadium owners. He did say he would be happy to sit down with Macklemore and talk in person.<\/p>\n

What has Ed Sheeran said?<\/p>\n

Sheeran posted his response to the row on Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that Macklemore had been removed because of his pro-Palestinian stance, but denying that he was responsible.<\/p>\n

He wrote: \u201cI am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated. Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Macklemore\u2019s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue\u2019s and promoter\u2019s decision was final.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacklemore coming off tour was the promoter\u2019s decision; it was not mine. Macklemore\u2019s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.<\/p>\n

\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

How did others react?<\/p>\n

While Sheeran and the tour\u2019s operators have yet to comment on the supporting acts quitting, Macklemore, climate activist Greta Thunberg, the musicians, fans and supporters of Palestine and Gaza, have all lauded the artists for their decision to quit the tour.<\/p>\n

Macklemore has commented on each of their Instagram posts with a heart and the Palestinian flag.<\/p>\n

Some Instagram users who had not heard some of the artists, such as Rowe, before left comments such as, \u201cYou\u2019ve gained a fan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commenting on Finneas\u2019s post, the Europe Palestine network, a civil society initiative, said: \u201cWhat is happening is HUGE !!! Artists turning their back to billionaires !!! I am so happy and proud !!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheeran has faced criticism on social media for allowing Macklemore to be barred from performing.<\/p>\n

In a video rant against Sheeran, Belgium-based filmmaker and activist Thomas Maddens said<\/a> that one of Sheeran\u2019s songs, \u201cWhat Do I Know\u201d in 2017, includes the lyric, \u201cThe Revolution is coming, it\u2019s a minute away. I saw people marching in the streets today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddens noted that, despite this song, Sheeran apparently sided with the people who are not marching [for Palestine].<\/p>\n

Addressing Sheeran in his video, he added: \u201cWhen it is white people you march with them. But when it is brown people, you don\u2019t seem to care very much.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Macklemore did not blame his longtime friend Sheeran for the debacle and described him as \u201capolitical\u201d, the latter has performed at a charity concert to raise money for Ukraine, and he has also recorded a music video with the Ukrainian military rock band Antytila.<\/p>\n

Pink Floyd cofounder Roger Waters, who has also been vocal about his support for Palestine, said on his social media: \u201cThere are two kinds of people in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people do the right thing. That rapper, Macklemore, would be one of those people.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Referring to Sheeran, he said: \u201cAnd there are people who are p***ks, like you, who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n