Jack Antonoff Calls Out Ed Sheeran Over Macklemore Tour Exit: "Stand the F–k Up"

The Loop Tour drama just got a very loud new voice. Macklemore was removed as Ed Sheeran’s opening act in mid-September after performing“Free Palestine”demonstrations at two New Jersey shows, a move that reportedly followed billionaire Robert Kraft rallying stadium owners to bar Sheeran unless Macklemore was gone. Sheeran says he weighed alternatives in talks with Kraft and venue operators, ultimately choosing what he called diplomacy over politics and a platform of“safety and sanctuary.”

In a Guardian interview published Sunday, Jack Antonoff didn’t mince words. The producer and artist argued Sheeran should have canceled the tour outright and played free outside each venue rather than let a billionaire decide his lineup. His message was blunt, and Sheeran’s response was just as clear:“There is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”Meanwhile, Macklemore donated $1 million from the tour to Palestinian aid and announced a“Free Palestine”benefit tour of his own, and both Sheeran and Kraft pledged money toward Gaza humanitarian efforts.

The whole thing gets at something fans already resent about live music: how much power the people who own the venues actually hold over the artists on their stages. So where do you land? Should Sheeran have walked away from the tour entirely, or was keeping it running the smarter move? Sound off in the comments.