How Ed Sheeran's tour imploded over a geopolitical fight
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Ed Sheeran performs with Coldplay at a "Music of the Spheres" album launch show in London on Oct. 12, 2021. Photo: Simone Joyner/Getty Images
Ed Sheeran's world tour spiraled into chaos this week after one opener was removed, every remaining opening act quit and stadiums threatened to pull the plug on the tour.
Why it matters: The turmoil reveals the power dynamics behind major concert tours, showing how even a global star like Sheeran can be forced to take a back seat on decisions about his own shows.
Driving the news: All four of Sheeran's remaining supporting acts announced Tuesday that they were dropping out.
- Irish musicians Aaron Rowe and Beoga, as well as Danish band Lukas Graham, said Tuesday they were leaving the tour. Rowe was set to replace Macklemore as the opener for the U.S. shows, AP reports.
- Finneas, who was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year, also announced he was exiting the concert series, saying on Instagram that "artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed."
Catch up quick: The moves came one day after rapper Macklemore, who was scheduled for most of the remaining tour dates, was dropped after using his sets to voice support for Palestinians and condemn the war in Gaza during shows on Sept. 4-5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
- Macklemore told the MetLife crowd on Sept. 4 that he wanted to do the tour so he could "say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free Palestine.'" His performance included images of war-torn Gaza playing on the video board.
- The tour's promoters, Messina Touring Group, told Rolling Stone Monday that concert venues threatened to cancel shows unless Macklemore was dropped from the tour after his pro-Palestinian comments.
Zoom in: Macklemore said the decision came after he spoke with Sheeran, alleging that the headliner faced pressure from stadium owners including Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium.
- According to Macklemore, Sheeran is typically "apolitical" and the recent round of backlash "challenged" him "in a way it never had before."
The other side: Sheeran shared on Instagram Tuesday that the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour came not from him, but from the promoters.
- "I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."
Sheeran also wrote on Instagram that he didn't want his Loop Tour drawn into a public discussion around the war in Gaza.
- "I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine," Sheeran wrote on IG. "The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated."
- He added: "I have my personal views on the devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care. Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own personal way."
Zoom out: The turmoil over Sheeran's concert tour raises broader questions about political speech at concerts.
- As Rolling Stone notes, several stadiums that opposed Macklemore's appearance are publicly owned.
- One such venue is Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, which faced calls to cancel Ye's shows earlier this year due to his past antisemitic comments.
The bottom line: Sheeran has tried to keep politics off his stage. The fight over Gaza has now made that neutrality difficult to maintain.
