Which artists have pulled out of Ed Sheeran’s tour over Palestine?

Supporting acts for Sheeran’s US tour have quit in solidarity with rapper Macklemore, banned for saying ‘Free Palestine’.

Recording artist Macklemore appears on ABC's 'Good Morning America' Summer Concert Series in Central Park in New York left, and Ed Sheeran appears at the premiere of the film 'F1 The Movie' in London [File: AP]

All supporting acts for English pop star Ed Sheeran’s upcoming US Loop Tour have quit in solidarity with rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from the tour for supporting Palestine.

Some of the other artists are Irish and have cited their own country’s historical experience of suffering under occupation as the reason for their opposition to Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.

list 1 of 3 Macklemore cut from Ed Sheeran tour for pro-Palestine stance

list 2 of 3 Who is Robert Kraft, pro-Israel billionaire who cancelled Macklemore?

list 3 of 3 Ed Sheeran blames US tour promoter for dropping Macklemore

Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, drew criticism after saying “Free Palestine” and making other pro-Palestine comments while on tour with Sheeran at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.

He was ultimately dropped from the remainder of Sheeran’s tour, partly under pressure from the billionaire owner of one of the venues, the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Robert Kraft . On Tuesday, Sheeran blamed the tour’s US promoter.

“I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of this message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said,” Sheeran wrote. “I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.”

Who are the musicians and bands who have also quit the tour?

Which artists are pulling out and why?

In statements on their social media platforms shortly after Sheeran’s announcement, American singer-songwriter Finneas, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Irish band Beoga and Danish pop band Lukas Graham announced they would be dropping out of the tour, which is scheduled to begin on September 19 in Philadelphia.

Sheeran is set to kick off his North American tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Finneas, US singer-songwriter

Finneas, who was scheduled to open for Sheeran in some American cities during the tour, announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he had decided to withdraw from the tour after Macklemore’s expulsion.

He and his sister, the multi-Grammy and Academy Award-winning pop singer Billie Eilish, have talked about their Irish family roots and have been outspoken about their support for Palestine before.

“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he said on Instagram on Tuesday.

“I stand with Palestine and its people,” he added.

Aaron Rowe, Irish singer

On Tuesday, Rowe, who performed as part of Sheeran’s Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and was to do 10 more dates in the US, said he has also decided to withdraw.

“I don’t take the decision lightly,” he said on Instagram.

“Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this,” he acknowledged.

“But 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 who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal,” he added.

Beoga is Sheeran’s backing band. Yet on Tuesday, the group announced on Instagram that it would also quit the US leg of the tour “following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies”.

“We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us. We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be. We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people,” they added.

Lukas Graham, Danish band

Announcing their withdrawal from the tour in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, lead singer Lukas Forchhammer wrote : “It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.”

“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge,” he said.

How did the Macklemore controversy start?

Macklemore opened a Sheeran show at the New Jersey MetLife Stadium earlier this month with a speech about Palestine.

He said: “The people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them. I say free Palestine. I say free Lebanon. Free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran.”

The speech triggered an immediate backlash, and the Israeli-American Council started a petition to have Macklemore dropped from the tour.

Macklemore defended his statements, and also his performance of the song Hind’s Hall – dedicated to Hind Rajab, the five-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces while stranded inside a car in Gaza – by stating that “wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial”.

Hamilton Hall, one of the main buildings on the campus of Columbia University, was the site of a student protest in 2024 against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The students occupied the hall and renamed it “Hind’s Hall”.

How did Robert Kraft get involved in the row?

In an Instagram post, Macklemore told fans: “Ed [Sheeran] told me that [Robert] Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium.”

He also claimed that Sheeran told him Kraft had rallied other stadium owners, who collectively issued an ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Kraft defended his involvement in preventing Macklemore from performing at his own stadium in a statement. He said, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf.”

“But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas … whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

Kraft’s public statement on the issue did not address the claim that the billionaire lobbied other stadium owners. He did say he would be happy to sit down with Macklemore and talk in person.

What has Ed Sheeran said?

Sheeran posted his response to the row on Instagram on Tuesday, confirming that Macklemore had been removed because of his pro-Palestinian stance, but denying that he was responsible.

He wrote: “I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated. Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.

“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting. I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also 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.

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

How did others react?

While Sheeran and the tour’s operators have yet to comment on the supporting acts quitting, Macklemore, climate activist Greta Thunberg, the musicians, fans and supporters of Palestine and Gaza, have all lauded the artists for their decision to quit the tour.

Macklemore has commented on each of their Instagram posts with a heart and the Palestinian flag.

Some Instagram users who had not heard some of the artists, such as Rowe, before left comments such as, “You’ve gained a fan.”

Commenting on Finneas’s post, the Europe Palestine network, a civil society initiative, said: “What is happening is HUGE !!! Artists turning their back to billionaires !!! I am so happy and proud !!!!”

Sheeran has faced criticism on social media for allowing Macklemore to be barred from performing.

In a video rant against Sheeran, Belgium-based filmmaker and activist Thomas Maddens said that one of Sheeran’s songs, “What Do I Know” in 2017, includes the lyric, “The Revolution is coming, it’s a minute away. I saw people marching in the streets today.”

Maddens noted that, despite this song, Sheeran apparently sided with the people who are not marching [for Palestine].

Addressing Sheeran in his video, he added: “When it is white people you march with them. But when it is brown people, you don’t seem to care very much.”

While Macklemore did not blame his longtime friend Sheeran for the debacle and described him as “apolitical”, the latter has performed at a charity concert to raise money for Ukraine, and he has also recorded a music video with the Ukrainian military rock band Antytila.

Pink Floyd cofounder Roger Waters, who has also been vocal about his support for Palestine, said on his social media: “There are two kinds of people in this world.”

“Some people do the right thing. That rapper, Macklemore, would be one of those people.” he said.

Referring to Sheeran, he said: “And there are people who are p***ks, like you, who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.”

为声援因发表“解放巴勒斯坦”言论而被禁演的说唱歌手麦克莫尔，希兰美国巡演的暖场嘉宾纷纷退出演出。

录音艺术家 Macklemore 出席了 ABC 电视台在纽约中央公园举办的“早安美国”夏季音乐会系列活动（左图），Ed Sheeran 出席了在伦敦举行的电影《F1 电影版》的首映式。[图片：美联社]

英国流行歌手艾德·希兰即将举行的美国Loop巡回演唱会的所有暖场嘉宾都已退出，以声援因支持巴勒斯坦而被巡演除名的说唱歌手麦克莫尔。

其他一些艺术家是爱尔兰人，他们以本国历史上遭受占领之苦的经历为由，反对以色列对巴勒斯坦领土的非法占领。

麦克莫尔因支持巴勒斯坦的立场而被艾德·希兰巡演除名（共3条，第1条）

列表 2/3：罗伯特·克拉夫特是谁？这位亲以色列的亿万富翁曾取消了 Macklemore 的演出。

列表 3/3：艾德·希兰指责美国巡演主办方取消了与麦克莫尔的合作

Macklemore（真名 Ben Haggerty）本月初在新泽西州大都会人寿体育场与 Sheeran 一起巡演时，发表了“解放巴勒斯坦”等支持巴勒斯坦的言论，引发了批评。

最终，他被希兰从剩余的巡演中除名，部分原因是受到了其中一个演出场地——位于马萨诸塞州福克斯堡的吉列体育场——的亿万富翁老板罗伯特·克拉夫特的压力。周二，希兰将责任归咎于巡演的美国主办方。

“我被告知，这种立场是基于Macklemore在表演中传达的部分信息，而不是基于全部内容，”希兰写道。“我整周都与演出场地进行了长时间的沟通，试图弥合分歧。”

还有哪些音乐人和乐队退出了巡演？

哪些艺术家退出？原因是什么？

在希兰宣布退出巡演后不久，美国创作歌手菲尼亚斯、爱尔兰歌手亚伦·罗、爱尔兰乐队Beoga和丹麦流行乐队卢卡斯·格雷厄姆在社交媒体平台上发表声明，宣布他们将退出此次巡演。此次巡演定于9月19日在费城开始。

希兰将于周六在费城林肯金融球场开启他的北美巡回演唱会。

菲尼亚斯，美国创作型歌手

原定在巡演期间为 Sheeran 在美国部分城市担任开场嘉宾的 Finneas 周二在 Instagram 上宣布，在 Macklemore 被开除后，他决定退出巡演。

他和他的妹妹，多次获得格莱美奖和奥斯卡奖的流行歌手比莉·艾利什，都曾谈到过他们的爱尔兰家庭背景，并且之前也曾公开表示支持巴勒斯坦。

“当艺术家为受压迫者发声时，不应让他们噤声，”他周二在Instagram上说道。

“我与巴勒斯坦及其人民站在一起，”他补充道。

亚伦·罗，爱尔兰歌手

周二，曾于今年早些时候作为希兰澳大利亚巡演的一部分进行表演，并原计划在美国再进行 10 场演出的罗威表示，他也决定退出。

“我不会轻易做出这个决定，”他在Instagram上说。

“埃德一直是我的朋友，他改变了我的生活，我永远也无法对此表达足够的感激之情，”他说道。

“但作为爱尔兰人，我们对种族灭绝、人为饥荒和暴力占领都感同身受。我不能袖手旁观，任由亿万富翁利用他们的权力地位，压制那些挺身而出反对以色列种族灭绝、揭露残忍杀害儿童罪行的人们的合法声音。如果我继续这样下去，我会丧失所有尊严，”他补充道。

Beoga是Ed Sheeran的伴奏乐队。然而，周二，该乐队在Instagram上宣布，由于“犹太复国主义游说团体封杀了Macklemore”，他们也将退出Ed Sheeran在美国的巡演。

“我们是一支传统的爱尔兰乐队，从未想过自己会在如此规模的体育场演出，所以我们非常珍惜这次机会。我们和艾德已经是十多年的朋友了，而且这份友谊还会继续下去。我们相信对话是改善巴勒斯坦人民困境的途径，”他们补充道。

卢卡斯·格雷厄姆，丹麦乐队

周二，主唱卢卡斯·福尔克哈默在Instagram上发表声明，宣布退出巡演。他在声明中写道：“看到世界其他地方的家庭埋葬他们所爱的人，这令人难以接受。我们应该能够谈论战争，谈论平民的死亡，谈论那些本应健康成长的孩子们。无论他们生活在哪里，无论他们头顶飘扬着哪面旗帜。”

“金钱并不能赋予你主导对话的权利。任何人的银行存款都不应该决定谁有权发言，或者我们被允许承认哪些苦难，”他说。

Macklemore争议是如何开始的？

本月初，Macklemore 在新泽西州大都会人寿体育场为 Sheeran 的演唱会开场，并发表了关于巴勒斯坦的演讲。

他说：“从加沙到被占领的西岸，所有人民都知道我们没有忘记他们。我呼吁巴勒斯坦自由，我呼吁黎巴嫩自由，从古巴到刚果，从苏丹到伊朗，我呼吁所有国家自由。”

这次演讲立即引发了强烈反弹，以色列裔美国人理事会发起了一项请愿活动，要求将麦克莫尔从巡演中除名。

Macklemore 为自己的言论以及他演唱的歌曲《Hind's Hall》（献给被困在加沙一辆车内、五岁女孩 Hind Rajab 的歌曲）辩护，称“希望所有人都受到平等对待不应该引起争议”。

汉密尔顿楼是哥伦比亚大学校园内的主要建筑之一，2024年，这里曾发生学生抗议以色列对加沙发动种族灭绝战争的事件。学生们占领了这座大楼，并将其更名为“欣德楼”。

罗伯特·克拉夫特是如何卷入这场争端的？

Macklemore 在 Instagram 上发帖告诉粉丝：“Ed [Sheeran] 告诉我，[Robert] Kraft 说我不会被允许在他的体育场演出。”

他还声称，希兰告诉他，克拉夫特已经联合其他体育场馆老板，共同发出最后通牒：“如果麦克莫尔继续巡演，你将不被允许在我们的场馆演出。”

克拉夫特在一份声明中为自己阻止麦克莫尔在其自家体育场演出的行为辩护。他说：“这项决定并非意在淡化无辜巴勒斯坦人的苦难，也并非要剥夺任何人代表他们发声的权利。”

“但是，这种倡导不应以牺牲犹太社区的利益为代价，也不应掩盖哈马斯的责任……哈马斯的恐怖行径给巴勒斯坦人和以色列人都造成了无法估量的痛苦。”

克拉夫特就此事发表的公开声明并未回应这位亿万富翁游说其他体育场馆所有者的指控。但他表示，他很乐意与麦克莫尔坐下来当面交谈。

艾德·希兰说了什么？

周二，希兰在 Instagram 上发布了对这场争论的回应，证实麦克莫尔因其亲巴勒斯坦的立场而被除名，但他否认自己对此负有责任。

他写道：“我对以色列和巴勒斯坦之间的冲突感到震惊。双方所遭受的苦难和痛苦是一场人类悲剧。世界上有太多战争造成了难以估量的痛苦，任何战争都不应该被容忍。Macklemore去年邀请我参加巡演，我同意了，因为我尊重他作为一名艺术家。和所有我的暖场嘉宾一样，我同意他们自行选择演出曲目。”

“在Macklemore于新泽西州的演出结束后，我接下来巡演的场地通知我，如果他继续担任暖场嘉宾，他们将取消演出。我被告知，他们的立场是基于Macklemore在演出中传达的部分信息，而不是他所说的全部内容。我整整一周都在与场地沟通，试图弥合分歧。其中一位沟通者是Robert Kraft。我还直接与演出主办方以及双方的活动人士进行了对话，试图找到一个各方都能接受的解决方案，但最终场地和主办方的决定是最终的。”

“Macklemore停止巡演是主办方的决定，不是我的。Macklemore的巡演合同是和主办方签的，不是和我签的。”

“我绝不会让那些已经做好计划的歌迷失望，也不会抛弃巡演团队、其他暖场嘉宾和音乐家，他们都依靠我来工作和谋生。”

其他人的反应如何？

虽然希兰和巡演主办方尚未对暖场嘉宾退出巡演一事发表评论，但麦克莫尔、气候活动家格蕾塔·通贝里、音乐家、粉丝以及巴勒斯坦和加沙的支持者都对这些艺人退出巡演的决定表示赞赏。

Macklemore 在他们的每一条 Instagram 帖子下都评论了一个爱心和一个巴勒斯坦国旗。

一些之前没听过 Rowe 等歌手的 Instagram 用户留言说：“你又多了一个粉丝。”

欧洲巴勒斯坦网络（一个民间社会组织）在评论菲尼亚斯的帖子时表示：“这太不可思议了！！！艺术家们竟然背弃了亿万富翁！！！我感到无比高兴和自豪！！！！！”

希兰因禁止麦克莫尔演出而在社交媒体上遭到批评。

在一段抨击希兰的视频中，比利时电影制作人兼活动家托马斯·马登斯表示，希兰2017年的一首歌曲《我该知道什么》中有一句歌词：“革命即将到来，就在一分钟之内。我今天看到人们在街上游行。”

马登斯指出，尽管有这首歌，希兰显然站在了那些没有为巴勒斯坦游行的人一边。

他在视频中对希兰说：“如果是白人，你会和他们一起游行。但如果是棕色人种，你似乎就不太关心了。”

虽然 Macklemore 没有将这场惨败归咎于他的老朋友 Sheeran，并称他“不关心政治”，但后者曾在一场慈善音乐会上表演，为乌克兰筹款，他还与乌克兰军事摇滚乐队 Antytila 录制了音乐视频。

Pink Floyd 乐队联合创始人罗杰·沃特斯也曾公开表示支持巴勒斯坦，他在社交媒体上说：“世界上有两种人。”

“有些人会做正确的事。说唱歌手麦克莫尔就是其中之一。”他说。

他指着希兰说：“还有像你这样的混蛋，做了错事。再见。”