Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour is back on the road in the United States this weekend, but the run of stadium shows has been overshadowed by a very public falling-out. Four support acts — including the singer's own touring band — have quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, who says he was dropped after shouting "Free Palestine!" during a September 5 show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Sheeran insists the decision to remove Macklemore wasn't his. In an Instagram post, the British star wrote that the withdrawal was "the promoter's decision" and that he had spent the week trying to broker a compromise with venues, without success. Macklemore, for his part, claims billionaire Robert Kraft — owner of the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group, which operates Gillette Stadium — helped rally venues to bar him from performing. Kraft has said Macklemore was cancelled over his comments and what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric, a characterisation the rapper disputes.
The fallout spread quickly. Finneas, Billie Eilish's brother and collaborator, pulled out of the South American leg, saying artists "must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed." Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Irish folk band Beoga also withdrew, both invoking Ireland's colonial history — Beoga noted it is a founding member of Irish Artists for Palestine. Danish pop act Lukas Graham stepped back too, writing that "nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak."
So what does this mean for anyone holding tickets? Sheeran's remaining dates are going ahead as planned. Macklemore had been booked for eight of the ten remaining shows, so openers may change or line-ups may be shorter than advertised. The tour resumes Saturday in Philadelphia, with stops still to come at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. If you've booked travel around one of these gigs, the concert itself is unchanged — but expect the opening slots to look different from what was originally announced, and keep an eye on official tour channels for updates before you lock in flights or hotels.
For fans who prefer their concerts politics-free, Sheeran has made clear that's what he intends to deliver. He said he keeps his own views on the Gaza war private because audiences "do not expect a political forum," and framed his approach as keeping conversations open rather than closed. Whether that neutral stance holds under mounting pressure from his fellow artists is the story to watch as the tour rolls on.