Well, that escalated quickly.
Just one day after Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his pro-Palestinian statements onstage, the situation has taken another turn.
Every other remaining support act has now pulled out too.
FINNEAS, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham have all announced that they will no longer open for Sheeran on upcoming dates, while Irish band Beoga ,who were actually joining Sheeran during his own set , have also walked away.
And they’re not being subtle about why.
The lineup is basically gone
The wave of withdrawals came after Sheeran addressed Macklemore’s removal from the tour, saying the decision had been made by the tour promoter after multiple venues reportedly refused to host shows if Macklemore remained on the bill.
But for the other artists involved, that explanation apparently didn’t change much.
FINNEAS announced he was pulling out of his scheduled South American dates, writing that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed” and expressing his support for Palestinians.
Aaron Rowe, who was supposed to join Sheeran for upcoming North American shows, also withdrew, saying continuing with the tour would go against his principles.
Then Lukas Graham followed, announcing that the band could no longer continue with the tour “as things stand.”
And finally, Beoga stepped away.
That one hits a little differently because Beoga weren’t just opening the show. The Irish band had been joining Sheeran onstage during his own set, performing songs they had worked on together.
The group said performing in venues that silence someone advocating for a free Palestine was “simply not an option for us.”
But the tour is still happening
Sheeran, meanwhile, has made clear that he is not cancelling the tour.
He said he would not abandon fans who had already made plans to attend or the crew and musicians whose livelihoods depend on the shows continuing.
The Loop Tour is currently scheduled to resume this weekend in Philadelphia, with nine North American dates remaining before moving on to South America.
As of September 16, no replacement opening acts have been announced.
So while the tour itself is moving forward, its supporting lineup has essentially disappeared in the space of a day.
What started with two words onstage “Free Palestine” has now turned into a much bigger conversation about artists, political speech, venue owners and who ultimately gets to decide what can be said from one of the biggest stages in music.
