Four acts on Ed Sheeran’s touring bill have announced they are leaving the Loop Tour, following the removal of rapper Macklemore from the lineup after he made pro-Palestinian remarks from the stage at a New Jersey stadium show earlier this month.
According to AFP, the departing artists are Finneas, the producer and performer known for his work with his sister Billie Eilish; Danish band Lukas Graham; and the Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga. All four posted about their exits on Tuesday.
Sheeran has pushed back on the idea that he was responsible for Macklemore’s departure, writing in a lengthy Instagram post that the decision belonged to the tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group.
What Macklemore said on stage
While opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine!” and told Palestinians they were “not forgotten,” according to AFP.
Macklemore, whose catalog includes hits like “Thrift Shop” and “Can’t Hold Us,” has been outspoken about his support for Palestinians for years. In 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall,” a track honoring Hind Rajab, the five-year-old Palestinian girl whose death drew widespread international attention.
On Monday, Macklemore posted that Sheeran and his team were not behind his removal from the tour. He said Robert Kraft — the owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts and the New England Patriots — had contacted Sheeran to say the rapper would not be allowed on stage, and alleged that Kraft had organized pressure from other venues to demand his exclusion.
In a statement, Kraft said Gillette Stadium would “not provide a platform for hate speech.”
Sheeran points to the promoter
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote, adding that the rapper’s contract was ended by Messina Touring Group.
The singer said venues on the tour “communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting.” He described prolonged discussions with venue managers, including Kraft, but said he was unable to resolve the issue.
Sheeran also addressed his reluctance to speak publicly about political subjects, including the war in Gaza. “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t care,” he said.
He added that audiences at his shows “do not expect a political forum,” and said he respected Macklemore’s “strength of purpose.”
The openers explain their exits
Finneas, who has publicly advocated for Palestinians before, wrote Tuesday that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” adding, “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Beoga, a traditional Irish band that has toured with Sheeran, framed its decision around their national history and their political activism. The group said it was dropping out “following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies.” They noted that the chance to play stadiums of that scale was something they never expected, and that they would remain friends with Sheeran after a decade of collaboration.
But, the band said, “we are Irish people who understand colonialism.” Beoga described itself as a founding member of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, calling the members “committed activists for justice.”
Rowe struck a similar note, invoking Ireland’s past in explaining his departure. “As Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he wrote. He called Sheeran a friend who “has changed my life,” but said he could not stay on the tour.
“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,” Rowe said.
Lukas Graham of Denmark was also among the four acts announcing they had quit, according to AFP. Their departure, alongside Finneas, Beoga and Rowe, leaves the Loop Tour’s support slate significantly reshaped as it continues.
The episode has moved quickly from a single stadium moment to a broader dispute over who controls what can be said on a major pop tour — the venues, the promoter, the headliner, or the artists themselves. Sheeran’s account places the decision with the promoter and the venues, while Macklemore’s account places the initial pressure with Kraft. Kraft’s statement stands by the stadium’s position.
For now, the tour rolls on without four of the acts that were set to open it.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/09/16/ed-sheeran-concert-openers-finneas-lukas-graham-and-more-quit-tour-after-macklemore-anti-israel-backlash/