All support acts on Ed Sheeran's US tour quit after Macklemore dropped

SHAH ALAM - All of the remaining support acts on Ed Sheeran's US tour have quit, after the rapper Macklemore was dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.

Early this morning, supporting acts Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Aaron Rowe, traditional Irish folk group Beoga, and Danish band Lukas Graham independently took to social media to announce they were severing ties with the tour.

While expressing personal affection or gratitude toward Sheeran, the artists overwhelmingly cited corporate censorship, freedom of speech and solidarity with the people of Palestine as driving factors behind their exit.

The announcements came hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza, and stressed he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.

Finneas took to social media saying that artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.

The 29-year-old singer-songwriter shared a concise statement on Instagram: "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people."

Lukas Graham's frontman Lukas Forchhammer emphasised that a person's bank balance should not dictate whose suffering is deemed valid, noting that it was impossible to continue the tour "as things stand"

Writing on Instagram, Lukas Graham posted: "We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them."

Aaron Rowe, meanwhile, pointed to Ireland's historical background with famine and forced migration. He stated that he could not stand by and watch billionaires utilise power dynamics to silence voices speaking against the war in Gaza.

Rowe, who opened on the Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and resumed as a support act for the US in June, said he did not "take the decision [to quit] lightly", adding: "Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this."

Beoga, a traditional Irish band, released a joint statement denouncing "the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies", declaring they would refuse to play venues that censor pro-Palestinian advocacy.

In their post, Beoga said: "As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us."

Sheeran is set to next perform at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday. His Loop tour website has not been updated, and Graham and Rowe are still listed as special guests.

While the star said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine" and that the "suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy", he also attempted to explain his decision to keep political issues at arm’s length.

"I am not complicit," he 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.

"Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own, personal way."

He continued: "There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics - my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.

"Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.

"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. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change."

Sheeran added that, “as with all my support acts", Macklemore had been allowed to choose his own setlist.

The controversy began on Sept 4, when Macklemore performed at Ed Sheeran's concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."

He then performed his song Hind's Hall, which is dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University and condemns Israel's military action in Gaza, while video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen.

Some of the audience cheered - but there was almost immediate criticism online.

The Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour; while campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda - a claim that was amplified by pop star Pink, who reposted it on Instagram.

The next night, Macklemore returned to the same stage and directly addressed his "Jewish brothers and sisters" in the audience.

"Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you," he said, adding that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.

After days of press coverage, Macklemore announced on Monday that he had been dropped from the line-up.

In a statement on Instagram, he said the boycott had been organised by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Kraft - who once hired Ed Sheeran to play at his wedding - confirmed he'd made the decision to bar Macklemore, saying his venue would not "provide a platform for hate speech," accusing the rapper of "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric".

"I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate," Kraft said.

However, he did not address the claim that he'd asked other venues to put pressure on the tour.

Many of the acts who withdrew on Tuesday night said Kraft's involvement had influenced their decision.

"Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation," said Lukas Graham. "Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge."

In his statement, Macklemore said he empathised with the difficult position Sheeran had been put in, but criticised the English singer for not taking a stance.

"Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I've lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed," he wrote.

He also emphasised that, although he was only able to complete two shows on the tour, if his words succeeded in "turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I've ever been on."