Ed Sheeran’s Tour Openers, Backing Band Resign After Macklemore Removal by Walden Green

On September 14, after being dropped from Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore released a statement in which he blamed both Sheeran and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft for removing him from future dates. Messina Touring Group, a subsidiary of AEG, confirmed that multiple venues had joined Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in opposing the rapper’s presence on the bill. In his post, Macklemore accused Kraft of rallying the owners of those venues to follow his lead. Sheeran eventually responded with a statement of his own, putting the blame on the promoter.

…Following Sheeran’s post, the pop star’s remaining support acts—Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe—along with his backing band, Beoga, said they would leave the tour due to Macklemore’s removal. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas posted on Instagram. In his own statement, Rowe wrote, “[As] Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine, and violent occupation. 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 and the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”