Ed Sheeran tour continues on to Philadelphia as acts withdraw

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Ed Sheeran’s upcoming show at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday is still scheduled to go on, but he may be the only performer on stage.

His opening acts, along with members of his own band, have pulled out of the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore.

Macklemore’s remarks about the Israel-Palestine conflict have fractured the tour.

During a recent performance in New Jersey, Macklemore told the crowd he wanted to stand on stages across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart, “Free Palestine.”

The comments prompted swift reaction from some fans and organizations.

Josh Holtzman of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia said he and others planned to skip Macklemore’s set.

“Once I saw that Macklemore was an opening act, we’re not going to go to his set because of his previous track record of engaging in antisemitism,” he said.

Holtzman added, “The truth is, regardless of his intention, he did make many Jews feel extremely targeted and extremely unwelcome.”

In response to the controversy, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft banned Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium, which he owns.

Kraft allegedly encouraged six other stadium owners, including those at Lincoln Financial Field, to do the same.

Sheeran later said the tour promoter dropped Macklemore, adding in a statement, “I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine; I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.”

Opening acts Finneas and Lukas Graham have withdrawn from the Loop Tour, and Sheeran’s band has also stepped back in support of Macklemore.

CAIR Philadelphia has filed a freedom of information request seeking to learn who made the decision to bar Macklemore from the Philadelphia venue.

“Now there’s some rich person lobbying other venues to cancel him. This is something that is unacceptable,” said Ahmet Tekelioglu, the organization’s executive director.

Tekelioglu also said, “Asking that we recognize that what is happening is a genocide, and is wrong, is not something problematic. It’s something millions of people share.”

The American Jewish Committee said the context surrounding Macklemore’s remarks matters.

“These deserve nuanced and serious conversations, and we should have those conversations, but they can’t be carried out in a way that demonizes an entire group of people,” said Hilary Levine.

Macklemore issued a written statement addressing the fallout.

“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” he wrote.

He said he will donate his $1 million net earnings from the tour to six organizations supporting Palestinians and invited Kraft to match the donation.

“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth,” he said.

Sheeran’s team and the Philadelphia Eagles have not responded to requests for comment. As of now, the show is still set to proceed.

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