Photo: Macklemore | All remaining opening acts quit Ed Sheeran tour after Macklemore exit | By Anthony Robledo, USA Today | More supporting acts are exiting Ed Sheeran’s tour, this time voluntarily. Finneas O’Connell, Danish band Lukas Graham, Irish band Beoga and singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe have all dropped out of the “Shape of You” singer’s Loop Tour after rapper Macklemore was dropped as an opening act due to on-stage pro-Palestinian comments at a Sept. 4 show.
In a statement shared Tuesday, Sept. 15, on Instagram, the 29-year-old Grammy-winning producer and brother of Billie Eilish said that he decided to withdraw his upcoming tour dates with Sheeran. The “Birds of a Feather” producer was initially slated to perform in six South American shows in November and December.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote. “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of Sheeran and Macklemore for comment as well as the acts that exited Sheeran’s tour.
The latest exits comes after Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour, confirmed to Rolling Stone on Sept. 14 that Macklemore was dropped as an opener for future dates. “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,” the company said.
The decision came after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft opposed the “Thrift Shop” rapper performing at Gillette Stadium. Macklemore said Kraft also rallied other stadium owners to oppose his involvement in the remaining shows.
. . . . . . . . . .
Go here for more of what started this chain of events:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/music/all-remaining-opening-acts-quit-ed-sheeran-tour-after-macklemore-exit/ar-AA2civ5U?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6aaacfbaf67d41e08c3cb9908d4b15de&ei=151
Contributing: Sameen Chaudhry, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: All remaining opening acts quit Ed Sheeran tour after Macklemore exit
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/09/15/finneas-lukas-graham-ed-sheeran-tour-macklemore-beoga-aaron-rowe/91780535007/
Roger Waters Calls Out ‘Little Pricks Like’ Ed Sheeran Over Macklemore Response
By Sebastian Murdock, HuffPost
Pink Floyd singer-songwriter Roger Waters didn’t mince words when calling out musician Ed Sheeran for his response to the removal of rapper Macklemore from Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
“I just have a little message for you,” Waters said in an Instagram video Tuesday. “There’s two kinds of people in this world: There’s people who do the right thing, that rapper Macklemore would be one of those people. And there’s people, many of them sadly little ― excuse me, I almost used the F-word there ― pricks like you, who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.”
The video displayed the words: “Ed Who?”
His dressing-down of Sheeran comes after the English pop star gave a mealy-mouthed response about American rapper Macklemore’s dismissal from the “Shape of You” singer’s tour.
Macklemore was removed from the tour after he said “Free Palestine” during a concert at MetLife Stadium earlier this month. The rapper’s comments weren’t a surprise ― Macklemore has been outspoken about Israel’s ongoing genocide. In 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall,” which includes the lyrics “screamin’ ‘Free Palestine’ ’til they’re home at last.”
. . . . . . . . . .
Read more here:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/roger-waters-calls-out-little-pricks-like-ed-sheeran-over-macklemore-response_n_6aaaa95ee4b0288deb0e26f3?origin=home-latest-news-unit
Ed Sheeran Loses 4 Opening Acts In Support Of Macklemore: ‘Artists Must Not Be Silenced’
By Elyse Wanshel, HuffPost
It’s safe to say that Ed Sheeran does not have the luck of the Irish — or a few Danes and an American.
On Tuesday, four of the Grammy winner’s opening acts for his Loop Tour dropped out of the lineup in protest after rapper Macklemore was removed as an opener for his pro-Palestine comments onstage.
Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell, Irish musician Aaron Rowe, the Irish band Beoga, and Danish band Lukas Graham all published statements on their respective Instagram accounts that they are quitting Sheeran’s tour. They also made it abundantly clear that they support Palestine and reject New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft for orchestrating a campaign to silence the “Thrift Shop” rapper.
Macklemore said in a statement Monday that Kraft rallied other stadium owners to ban his performances at their venues. Kraft confirmed to TMZ that he had objected to Macklemore performing in his stadium.
. . . . . . . . . .
Read more of this chapter here:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ed-sheeran-loses-4-opening-acts-in-support-of-macklemore-artists-must-not-be-silenced_n_6aa9a36ae4b0288deb0d57fa?origin=article-related-nonlife
Kraft pledges $2M in humanitarian aid amid Sheeran Macklemore tour backlash
By Hollie Silverman, Newsweek
Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft pledged $2 million to address what he called the humanitarian crisis “in the region”, amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots, announced his donation in an Instagram post Wednesday, saying, “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting.” Kraft did not identify the intended recipients or say specifically where the aid would go.
“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis,” Kraft wrote, adding, “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
“In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships,” Kraft wrote.
Kraft did not name the organizations that would receive the money or specify whether the donation would exclusively support Palestinians, people in Gaza or other communities affected by the regional crisis. Robert Kraft’s reference later in the statement to his support for Palestinians provided context for the announcement but did not expressly identify the beneficiaries of the new pledge.
. . . . . . . . . .
Read more on this development and story here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/general/kraft-pledges-2m-in-humanitarian-aid-amid-sheeran-macklemore-tour-backlash/
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon, Sam Wilson, Gray R. Thomas.
Photo: Macklemore | From his Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=731639824986120&set=a.288543915962382
