Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Tour in Chaos After Every Support Act Quits Over Macklemore

Allen J.

Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour has been thrown into chaos after all of the support acts—and even his own backing band—quit in protest at rapper Macklemore being dropped for his pro-Palestine comments.

Sheeran is accused of backing down when Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, threatened to cancel his show and organize a wider boycott of the British musician’s American tour unless Macklemore was yanked from the bill.

Macklemore announced on Instagram that he had been dropped and said Kraft, a longtime friend of President Trump, had hit Sheeran with the ultimatum.

Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother, was among those to pull out.

“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote on social media.

“I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran.

I stand with Palestine and its people.” Beoga, the Irish folk band that regularly performs alongside Sheeran during his live shows, also announced it would no longer take part.

“We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us,” they wrote on social media.

“We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be.

We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people.” They were joined by Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish pop group Lukas Graham, who also withdrew.

Rowe wrote 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.