All Four Acts Quit Ed Sheeran's Tour Over Macklemore — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- All four supporting acts — Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham — withdrew from Ed Sheeran's Loop tour on Tuesday, with Finneas dropping six South American dates in November and Rowe exiting the 10 remaining North American dates.
- Macklemore was removed after a September 4 speech at MetLife Stadium telling the audience he wanted "people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank" to know "we have not forgotten about them," prompting a petition from the Israeli American Council.
- Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner and prominent Israel donor, refused to allow the tour at his Gillette Stadium if Macklemore continued as an opener, per Sheeran's Instagram statement.
- Aaron Rowe cited Ireland's history with "genocide, forced famine and violent occupation" in his withdrawal, saying he could not let "billionaires use their position of power to silence the rightful voices" of those speaking against "Israeli genocide."
- Beoga, Sheeran's Irish backing band of over 10 years, withdrew from the US tour protesting the "silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies."
- Ed Sheeran said Macklemore's removal was "the promoter's decision, not mine" and that he had spent the week "trying to build bridges" but was "unable to do so," while also writing he was "appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine."
- Kraft defended his decision by citing Macklemore's "recent actions" and "broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery," referencing a 2013 Seattle performance where Macklemore wore a black wig, beard, and hooked nose that critics called an antisemitic caricature.
Why it matters: Four supporting acts walked off Ed Sheeran's tour in a single afternoon, leaving the headliner with no openers across remaining North American and South American dates and costing touring crew their work. Kraft's response shifted the framing from one onstage speech to a broader pattern by citing Macklemore's 2013 Seattle performance as evidence of "antisemitic rhetoric" — extending the dispute beyond current events.
Ask SkimNews
