As of Tuesday afternoon, the nail in the coffin for Sheeran’s ‘Loop’ tour was set as his touring band and all openers dropped out of his tour. Sheeran had been publicly criticized earlier in the week because Macklemore, one of the opening acts and a long-time friend and colleague of Sheeran, was dropped from the tour after saying ‘Free Palestine’ during two of his opening sets.
The war between Palestine and Israel has been around for almost a decade, with the first recorded conflicts beginning in 1947. The most recent, and still ongoing, war began on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas, a Palestinian political organization and military group, launched an attack on Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Israel responded with a massive military offensive, leading to over 73,000 Palestinian men, women and children dying, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, reported by PBS on Jun. 14. Since a ceasefire was called and has currently been stalled, another nearly 1,000 Palestinians have died.
Macklemore has been using his platform consistently to speak out against the genocide of Palestinians, so his speaking out during Sheeran’s tour does not come unexpectedly. However, the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour has confused several people.
Macklemore shared the news, after a stop at MetLife Stadium, he was told by Sheeran that Robert Kraft, owner of the Kraft Group, would not allow Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium due to his comments. Along with the Kraft Group, other stadium owners joined together to inform Sheeran that he would not be allowed to play at their venues if Macklemore was kept on the tour.
In Macklemore’s post, he states that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” although posts from when Sheeran said he stood with the people of Ukraine have resurfaced in the heat of the tour controversy. Macklemore was met with support from other major-name artists and performers, including names such as Zara Larsson, Greta Thunberg, Gigi Perez and Kehlani.
Sheeran took to social media shortly after Macklemore, stating that “it’s important that I set out some facts,” as the caption. Comments were turned off for the post as well. Sheeran states that the issue was not what Macklemore said, but how he said it. He continues the post by explaining why he chooses not to use his platform to speak up about conflict, saying that his “audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.” He returns to Macklemore, saying that there are other ways to advocate for peace, and that he uses his space and platform to create “safety and sanctuary” for his followers.
Tuesday afternoon, members of Sheeran’s touring band and additional openers took to Instagram, sharing their feelings on the situation and ultimately pulling themselves out of the tour. Openers included Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga as Sheeran’s tour band.
Each post offers individual perspectives, with Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham stating that, as people who grew up in cities where oppression was a major discussion, they refused to play on stages that allowed that behavior. Finneas’ statement that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” and Graham’s statement, “nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge,” focus on calling out the stadium owners. Each artist shared that they have been friends with Sheeran for over a decade, and will continue to be friends with him, but will not continue with the tour if this is how speaking out is to be treated.
Beoga are founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, and called on viewers to turn their frustration towards “the zionist lobby” who continues to silence the voices of artists who are speaking out about Palestine.
As of now, Sheeran has not made any additional statement as to what the future of his tour will look like. Attendees at previous shows have said the first portion of Sheeran’s set relies on the band, before live-looping tracks come into play in the second portion of the show. It is also uncertain whether or not Sheeran will be looking for new openers, or if the tour will be cancelled altogether. There are currently 17 other stops on the tour, including stops in North America, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Mexico and Chile. Statements from the Kraft Group and other stadium owners have also not been released in response to the backlash.