Ed Sheeran breaks silence as tour falls apart
After a week of silence, Ed Sheeran says dropping Macklemore was the promoter's call, not his. The fallout since has cost him his band and three support acts.
Ed Sheeran has finally spoken out about the removal of rapper Macklemore from his US Loop Tour, insisting the decision was not his to make, even as the fallout continues across the music industry.
In a lengthy Instagram statement posted on September 15, the British pop star placed responsibility squarely with promoters and venue owners.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote. “Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
The drama began when Macklemore used his opening slot at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5 to deliver a charged political message to an 80,000-strong crowd. Wearing a keffiyeh, the rapper shouted “Free Palestine” from the stage, then performed his 2024 protest song Hind’s Hall as images from the Gaza conflict were projected across the stadium screens.
The performance prompted swift backlash. Pop star Pink reshared a post from antisemitism watchdog group StopAntisemitism that accused the rapper of ambushing Jewish fans with political messaging at what was meant to be a pop concert. Pink later issued her own statement explaining the repost.
Pink, who is Jewish, wrote that she had “been quiet in my own words for a week” before offering a pointed reflection on Macklemore’s history. She referenced a 2014 incident at which the rapper performed in what many perceived as an antisemitic caricature, wearing a hooked nose, black beard and bowl cut. Macklemore later called it a “random costume”.
Pink said she did not object to calls for a “Free Palestine” but wanted to be able to say, “as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda”.
The fallout intensified when Macklemore alleged on Instagram that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium, had told Sheeran he would not be allowed to perform there, and had then rallied other stadium owners to issue a collective ultimatum: keep Macklemore on the tour and lose the venues.
Kraft responded with a statement confirming his role and saying the decision was based on Macklemore’s recent on-stage actions “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery”.
Messina Touring Group, which promotes the US leg of the tour, told Rolling Stone that venues on the upcoming dates had notified the company they would not allow concerts to go ahead with Macklemore on the lineup, which “would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans”.
In his Instagram post, Sheeran wrote that he had spoken “with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge”, including Kraft, and had been “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”.
He said venues had taken issue with “how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said”.
Sheeran described himself as “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, calling the suffering on both sides “a human tragedy”.
“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 have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care,” he wrote.
Sheeran said his shows are “about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome”, and that there is “a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics”, noting his audience “includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds”.
“I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” Sheeran wrote. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”
In a final personal note, Sheeran wrote, “I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so. I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
But the attempt at bridge-building has not been enough to hold the tour together. Four acts have since announced their departure from the Loop Tour in protest at Macklemore’s removal, including Irish performers Aaron Rowe and Beoga (Sheeran’s longtime touring band), Danish group Lukas Graham and US musician Finneas, the brother of Billie Eilish.
Beoga, who have been friends with Sheeran for more than a decade, said their decision was rooted in Ireland’s colonial history.
Finneas wrote, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Lukas Graham called it “a difficult decision” but added that “money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation”.
The departures leave Sheeran’s US tour in significant logistical difficulty, with remaining dates now short of both supporting acts and key members of his band.
Sheeran is no stranger to the Australian Jewish community.
He shared a deep friendship with the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, whom he described as “a tornado of joy”. Sheeran performed at Gudinski’s state memorial in 2021 and dedicated his album = (Equals) to the Australian music mogul, writing the song Visiting Hours about his grief at Gudinski’s death.
Whether the Loop Tour can recover its momentum remains to be seen. For now, Sheeran finds himself caught between venue owners wielding commercial pressure, a rapper who turned his stage into a political platform, and a growing list of former touring partners who have made their own choice about which side of the divide they stand on.