All supporting acts for English pop star Ed Sheeran’s upcoming US Loop Tour have quit in solidarity with rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour for supporting Palestine. Some of the other artists are Irish and have cited their own country’s historical experience of suffering under occupation as the reason for their opposition to Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, drew criticism after saying “Free Palestine” and making other pro-Palestine comments while on tour with Sheeran at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.
He was ultimately dropped from the remainder of Sheeran’s tour, partly under pressure from the billionaire owner of one of the venues, the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Robert Kraft. On Tuesday, Sheeran blamed the tour’s US promoter. In statements on their social media platforms shortly after Sheeran’s 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.
Sheeran is set to kick off his North American tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday. 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’s expulsion. 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.
On Tuesday, Rowe, who performed as part of Sheeran’s 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. 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,” he added.
Beoga is Sheeran’s backing band. Yet on Tuesday, the group announced on Instagram that it would also quit the US leg of the tour “following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies”. 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,” they added. Announcing their withdrawal from the tour in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, lead singer Lukas Forchhammer wrote: “It’s 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.
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