Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour Thrown Into Turmoil as All Remaining Support Acts Withdraw

Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour has been thrown into fresh uncertainty after all four remaining supporting acts announced that they were pulling out, just days after Macklemore was removed from the U.S. leg following his onstage comments in support of Palestine.

The withdrawals came in rapid succession on Tuesday, September 15, with Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Irish band Beoga each announcing that they would no longer continue with their scheduled appearances.

Their decisions followed a growing dispute over artistic expression, venue policies and political speech that erupted after Macklemore’s performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month.

With no opening acts now scheduled, Sheeran’s remaining stadium dates face an uncertain path forward.

Finneas leads the wave of withdrawals

Finneas, the 25-year-old Los Angeles musician and Billie Eilish’s brother and longtime musical collaborator, was among the first to announce his departure.

He had been scheduled to perform with Sheeran on six South American dates in November.

In his statement, Finneas said artists should not be silenced for speaking on behalf of oppressed people and announced that he would withdraw from his upcoming dates with Sheeran, adding that he stood with Palestine and its people.

His announcement came shortly after Sheeran published a lengthy statement explaining his position on Macklemore’s removal.

Aaron Rowe, who had been scheduled to perform on the remaining North American dates, also announced that he was leaving the tour.

Rowe described Sheeran as a friend who had changed his life, but said he could not continue as normal while believing artists were being prevented from speaking about the suffering of Palestinians.

The Irish singer referred to Ireland’s own history of genocide, forced famine and violent occupation as part of his reasoning for withdrawing.

Lukas Graham and Beoga follow

Danish band Lukas Graham also confirmed that they would no longer take part.

The group said artists should be able to discuss war, civilian deaths and children affected by conflict regardless of where they live or which flag they live under.

The band also stressed that financial power should not determine who gets to speak or which suffering can be acknowledged.

For Lukas Graham, the decision was difficult because of their relationship with Sheeran, but they said it was one they felt they needed to stand by.

Irish band Beoga, meanwhile, also withdrew despite having a long history with Sheeran.

The group has been friends with the singer for more than a decade and had been performing with him during the tour, including joining him on stage for Galway Girl.

Beoga said performing to huge stadium audiences had been a dream, but they could not continue performing at venues where they believed advocacy for a free Palestine was being silenced.

The band also expressed solidarity with Macklemore.

Why was Macklemore removed?

The controversy began after Macklemore used his performances at MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5 to speak publicly in support of Palestinians.

During one speech, he said “Free Palestine” and told the audience that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.

He also introduced his protest song Hind’s Hall, which addresses the war in Gaza and was inspired by pro-Palestinian student protests at Columbia University.

Macklemore was subsequently removed from the remaining U.S. dates of Sheeran’s tour.

The rapper later alleged that Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, had helped rally other stadium owners against allowing him to perform.

According to Macklemore’s account, he was told that venues would not host Sheeran’s concerts if he remained on the lineup.

Those claims have been disputed in their characterization, although Kraft has confirmed that Gillette Stadium would not host Macklemore, citing his recent stage remarks as well as what Kraft described as a broader history of rhetoric and imagery that he believed had been offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community. Macklemore has rejected accusations of antisemitism.

Sheeran’s U.S. tour promoter, Messina Touring Group, said venues had communicated that they would not allow the concerts to go ahead with Macklemore on the bill. The promoter said removing him was necessary to avoid the wider tour being affected.

Sheeran says Macklemore’s removal was not his decision

Sheeran addressed the controversy after Macklemore’s statement, making clear that he did not personally make the decision to remove his longtime friend from the tour.

The 35-year-old singer said Macklemore’s contract was with the promoter rather than with him and that the decision came from the promoter and venues.

Sheeran said he had spent the week speaking with venues, promoters and people on different sides of the dispute in an attempt to find a solution that would allow Macklemore to remain.

He said those efforts ultimately failed.

“I am not complicit,” Sheeran wrote, while explaining that he has personal views about the conflict but deliberately chooses not to make his concerts political forums.

He said his audience includes young people and children from different backgrounds who come to his shows for music, unity, joy and escapism.

Sheeran also said he respected Macklemore’s determination to speak about what he believes in, while maintaining that he prefers to use his own platform to encourage dialogue and keep conversations open.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans,” Sheeran said, while also emphasizing his responsibility toward the touring crew, musicians and other workers who depend on the shows for their livelihoods.

What happens to the Loop Tour now?

The latest withdrawals leave Sheeran without any remaining opening acts for the affected dates.

According to the reports, the tour still has 18 dates scheduled through the end of the year, leaving uncertainty over how the shows will proceed without the planned support lineup.

The tour is scheduled to resume in Philadelphia, with further stadium performances planned in the United States before continuing into South America.

For now, Sheeran has maintained that the tour itself will continue.

But with Macklemore’s removal triggering statements from every remaining support act, the controversy has moved far beyond a dispute involving a single opening performer.

It has become a wider debate over political expression, artistic freedom, venue policies and the responsibilities artists face when they use major concert stages to speak about a deeply divisive conflict.