All four supporting acts for upcoming dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour have withdrawn in solidarity with fellow opening act Macklemore, as backlash grows against his removal from the tour over onstage comments in support of Palestine.
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 from venue owners to remove Macklemore for pro-Palestine comments made during two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
In a two-minute speech on 4 September, the Grammy-winning artist told the audience he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”, along with the words “free Palestine”. The remark prompted a petition calling for Macklemore’s removal from the tour from the Israeli American Council and the opposition of some venue owners – including Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent donor to Israel.
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 his own withdrawal from the tour. “I don’t take the decision lightly,” he wrote on Instagram. “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.
“But 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.”
What a mess Ed Sheeran has got himself into. I do have sympathy for artists who just want to play their music and not get embroiled in geopolitics but I know politics and music have always been intertwined. He would have been better just siding with the artists even if he had to pull some concerts as giving in to the demands of billionaires is never going to look good to your fanbase.
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
