{"id":72842,"date":"2026-09-15T20:42:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T20:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/finneas-lukas-graham-leave-ed-sheeran-tours-after-macklemore-dropped\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T20:42:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T20:42:29","slug":"finneas-lukas-graham-leave-ed-sheeran-tours-after-macklemore-dropped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/finneas-lukas-graham-leave-ed-sheeran-tours-after-macklemore-dropped\/","title":{"rendered":"Finneas, Lukas Graham Leave Ed Sheeran Tours After Macklemore Dropped"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tFinneas<\/a> and every other artist supporting Ed Sheeran<\/a> on his Loop Tour have withdrawn from the trek after Macklemore was forced off<\/a> it<\/a> following onstage comments he made in support of Palestinians and critical of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza.<\/p>\n

\n\tFinneas, the singer-songwriter best known for his work with sister Billie Eilish, will no longer open for Sheeran on the upcoming South American leg of the Loop Tour, which was set to begin in November. \u201cArtists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,\u201d he wrote on Instagram. \u201cI have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tAdditionally, the other two openers for the U.S. leg \u2014 Danish pop artist Lukas Graham and Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe \u2014 announced they would not partake in the rest of the U.S. leg of the Loop Tour.<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Instagram<\/a>, Graham wrote, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMoney doesn\u2019t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody\u2019s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we\u2019re allowed to acknowledge,\u201d he added. \u201cI love Ed, and I\u2019m grateful for everything we\u2019ve shared. That shasn\u2019t changed. But I can\u2019t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand. We\u2019re withdrawing from the remaining dates. I\u2019m sorry I won\u2019t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it\u2019s one I need to stand by.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI 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,\u201d Rowe wrote on Instagram<\/a>. Rowe added that he did not \u201ctake the decision lightly,\u201d thanking Sheeran for his friendship and for the opportunities he\u2019d given him. \u201cBut,\u201d Rowe continued, \u201cas Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation\u2026 I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonization, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.\u201d\u00a0 (Humanitarian groups and a United Nations commission have said Israel\u2019s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. Israel and its allies, including the United States, have denied this.)<\/p>\n

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\n\tSheeran is also losing the support of Beoga, a traditional Irish folk band who join him onstage for a run of songs during his set. The band said<\/a> they made the decision to leave the tour \u201cfollowing the silencing of Macklemore<\/a> by zionist lobbies.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLike Rowe, the band thanked Sheeran for his friendship and for asking them to join him on tour, but said: \u201cWe believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people. As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThey added, \u201cWe were there for Macklemore\u2019s performance and speech. We fully supported his message, so did most of the audience in MetLife Stadium, which terrifies the lobbies. Go back and read the transcript if you\u2019re in doubt. We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be. This whole episode is once again serving to distract form the real issue, over 1000 Palestinians have been killed since the most recent so-called ceasefire.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMacklemore was dropped from Sheeran\u2019s Loop Tour on Monday after several venues told Sheeran they would not allow gigs to take place if the Seattle rapper was still on the bill. Macklemore was heavily criticized by pro-Israel groups for his actions at two shows at MetLife Stadium, where he expressed solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, shouted \u201cFree Palestine,\u201d shared images of the devastation from Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, and performed his protest song, \u201cHind\u2019s Hall, about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University.<\/p>\n

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\n\tIn a statement, Macklemore said New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft<\/a>, led the effort to pressure Sheeran into dropping Macklemore. \u201cEd told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,\u201d Macklemore wrote. \u201cEd also told me that Kraft 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKraft, for his part, confirmed he would not allow<\/a> Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium, which he owns. He said the decision was based on the rapper\u2019s \u201crecent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran\u2019s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.\u201d Kraft, however, did not address Macklemore\u2019s claim that he also \u201crallied\u201d other stadium owners to pressure Sheeran into dropping Macklemore.<\/p>\n

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\n\tOn Tuesday, Sheeran reiterated<\/a> that the decision to drop Macklemore was not his, but that of promoter Messina Touring Group following pressure from the venues. \u201cI have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,\u201d Sheeran wrote. \u201cI know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tReps for Sheeran did not immediately return requests for comments regarding the decisions of Finneas, Rowe, and Beoga.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n