Ed Sheeran's LOOP Tour in Turmoil: Macklemore Out, Band and Openers Exit in Solidarity

The LOOP tour just became the biggest story in pop music this week. Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates over his pro-Palestine stance, and in less than 24 hours, Ed Sheeran’s band and every remaining opener, Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga, and Lukas Graham, dropped out in solidarity. That’s a full lineup change overnight.

Sheeran addressed it directly, saying the decision came from promoter Messina Touring Group, an AEG subsidiary, not from him. According to Sheeran, venues threatened to pull shows if Macklemore remained on the bill, and he tried to broker a resolution with venues, promoters, and activists on both sides. He also said he was told the removal was based on how part of Macklemore’s message came across during a performance rather than everything he said. Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, was among the people Sheeran spoke with about the situation.

Sheeran says he’s“appalled”by the Israel-Palestine conflict and calls it a“human tragedy,”but he won’t use his platform for politics because his audience includes young people of all backgrounds. Ms. Rachel pushed back on that, criticizing his silence as treating Palestine like it’s too political for his stage. However this shakes out, it raises real questions about how much power promoters and venues have over what audiences actually hear.

So we want to know: should artists bring politics to the stage, or keep the show a politics-free zone? Drop your take in the comments.