Macklemore has been dropped from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after voicing support for Palestinians during shows in New Jersey, setting off a public dispute over who pressured whom and igniting a wave of celebrity criticism aimed at Sheeran.
The concert promoter, Messina Touring Group, confirmed the decision in a statement to Rolling Stone: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”
The controversy traces back to Macklemore’s performances at Sheeran’s New Jersey shows, where he repeatedly called to “Free Palestine” and performed his song “Hind’s Hall.” According to Sheeran, venues on the tour’s upcoming dates then warned they would cancel the shows if Macklemore remained on the bill.
Macklemore has offered a different version of events, claiming Sheeran told him that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who also owns Gillette Stadium, had organized other stadium owners against his continued participation, giving Sheeran an ultimatum that the tour would lose its venues if Macklemore stayed on.
Sheeran disputed that characterization in a lengthy statement posted Tuesday. “After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting,” he wrote. “I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
Sheeran also defended his longstanding refusal to use his platform for political statements, arguing that his audience includes children of diverse backgrounds who come to his shows expecting “a place of safety and sanctuary” rather than a political forum. “I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” he wrote. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
He pushed back on the idea that staying quiet made him indifferent. “I am not complicit,” Sheeran wrote. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
Celebrities pile on
The statement did little to quiet critics. “Hacks” star Hannah Einbinder mocked Sheeran on Instagram: “Ed Sheeran i say this as a ginger. i hope you get a REALLY bad sun burn the kind on the back of your entire body where it hurts to lie down or walk or sit.”
“Wicked” actor Marissa Bode wrote, “Ed Sheeran, my legs may not work like they used to before, but at least I have a f—ing spine. Free Palestine, b—-.”
Children’s educator Ms. Rachel argued that Sheeran had folded under pressure rather than defending Macklemore’s right to speak. “Ed Sheeran had an opportunity to show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine. Instead he caved to people who refuse to accept what the world knows. A genocide is happening in Gaza. We all need to speak out against it.”
Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters posted a video attacking Sheeran directly: “There are two kinds of people in this world, Ed. There are people who do the right thing. That rapper Macklemore would be one of those people. And there are people, many of them sadly little… p—— like you who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.”
Tour lineup unravels
The dispute has cost Sheeran several of his remaining supporting acts. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and the Irish folk band Beoga each withdrew from upcoming tour dates in solidarity with Macklemore. Finneas said artists should not be silenced when speaking for oppressed people, while Rowe condemned using wealth and venue leverage to suppress pro-Palestinian speech.
Lukas Graham wrote that he was grateful for his friendship with Sheeran but could not “carry on with tour as things stand,” adding: “I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”
For his part, Macklemore said he does not consider his friendship with Sheeran necessarily over, but he rejected Sheeran’s stated position of neutrality, saying that refusing to take a side in an unequal conflict is itself a choice. “I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2,” he said. “Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say. Free Palestine. But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
