Ed Sheeran Openers Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe Depart Tour in Solidarity With Macklemore

Irish singer Aaron Rowe has dropped out as the opener for the North American leg of Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore who was dropped from the tour after his statements in support of Palestine.

“I have made the decision to withdraw as a support act for Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Loop’ North American Tour,” Rowe wrote in a post on Instagram. “I don’t take the decision lightly. 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,” he wrote. “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. I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland. Free Palestine.”

Sheeran’s tour promoter Messina Touring Group first confirmed Macklemore’s removal from the tour on Monday morning, stating that “we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.”

Macklemore said in his own statement that New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft had called Sheeran and said he wouldn’t allow Macklemore to play at his venue, and that the owner “had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Sheeran said Tuesday that the “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.”

This came after Macklemore expressed support for Palestine during his opening set at Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium date on Sept. 4, which caught backlash from certain groups, including the Israeli-American Council which launched a petition calling to remove him from the tour.