Key Takeaways
- Finneas withdrew from select dates on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, declaring, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed” and “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
- Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe also exited the tour, saying he could not accept billionaires using their power to silence artists who speak against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
- Their departures followed Macklemore’s removal, which he blamed on pressure from Robert Kraft and other venue owners over his pro-Palestine advocacy; Macklemore supported both artists’ statements with heart and Palestinian flag emojis.
Following the removal of Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s tour over his support of Palestine, Finneas has announced that he won’t be performing on the tour, either.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote in a post shared on Instagram. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Finneas was scheduled to perform on select dates on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour later this year. Macklemore responded to Finneas’ post with a heart and Palestinian flag emoji.
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, who already opened for Sheeran earlier this year, also announced that he was dropping out of the tour following Macklemore’s removal.
“I have made the decision to withdraw as a support act for Ed Sheeran's 'The Loop' North American Tour. I don't take the decision lightly,” he wrote on Instagram, as seen below. “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this. But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation.”
Rowe also appeared to call out Robert Kraft, who Macklemore said rallied venue owners to pressure Sheeran to drop him from the tour or the shows wouldn’t go ahead as planned.
“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,” Rowe continued. “I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal. I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.”
Macklemore also responded to Rowe’s statement with the same set of emojis he commented on Finneas’ post.
In his statement, Macklemore addressed anti-semitism accusations, writing, “And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponize the accusation of antisemitism. Antisemitism is real. And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. When criticizing Israel, opposing Zionism or saying 'Free Palestine' gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn't protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability."
Lukas Graham and the band Beoga have also dropped out of the tour.
Also in his statement, Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft and other venue owners presented Sheeran with an ultimatum. One of the stadiums that the rapper, who dropped the song “Hind’s Hall” in support of Palestine in 2024, was scheduled to perform at was Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, which is owned by the Kraft Group.
One of the other venues Macklemore was set to support Sheeran at was AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The artist formerly known as Kanye West, who was widely criticized for his several anti-semitic comments in recent years, is currently scheduled to perform at the stadium later this year.
