The Loop Tour drama just got a new voice, and it’s coming from one of Ed Sheeran’s own openers. Aaron Rowe, who was set to perform on the tour, says the internet is pointing fingers at the wrong person. In a video posted to Instagram, Rowe argued that panic within Sheeran’s team led to Macklemore being removed from eight dates, and that Sheeran himself likely recognizes the call was a mistake. He pointed to Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, as the person who deserves more scrutiny.
Quick catch-up for anyone who missed it: Macklemore was dropped from the eight Loop Tour dates after performing“Hind’s Hall”at the September 4th and 5th MetLife Stadium shows and making pro-Palestinian comments. Sheeran said the promoter made that decision, not him, and that he tried and failed to reverse it. In response, Rowe, Lukas Graham, FINNEAS and band Beoga all withdrew from the remaining dates. Macklemore then pledged $1 million to Palestinian aid groups and publicly challenged Kraft to match it. Kraft committed $2 million.
So now the whole thing is a tangled mix of tour politics, free speech debates and billionaire checkbooks, and it’s not cooling down. Sheeran’s tour resumes Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field with no opening acts listed. Which leaves one big question for fans: when a controversial artist gets pulled from a tour, should the blame land on the headliner, the promoter, or the venue owner holding the keys?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.