Support acts who performed with Ed Sheeran during earlier legs of his tour which saw Macklemore removed over his comments about Gaza have backed the US rapper, saying they “stand unequivocally behind every word he said”.
All of the current support acts on Sheeran’s Loop tour have dropped out of the remaining dates following Macklemore’s removal, after he said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten during a show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Irish folk band Biird, who performed with Sheeran earlier in his tour, said in a post on Instagram: “Following the decision for Macklemore to be dropped from the Loop Tour, we feel it is important to be clear about where we stand.
“Our time on the Loop Tour has already come to an end. Our last show was at the MetLife stadium where we witnessed Macklemore’s speech.
“We stand unequivocally behind every word he said.
“Our support is with the people of Palestine, with the artists who have made the difficult decision to step away from the tour and with anybody that speaks up against Zionist lobbying groups.”
British singer Myles Smith said he did not want to turn on his friend Sheeran, who he said had “put more time, care and money into making the world better than most people will ever know”, but added: “My solidarity will never be selective.”
He said: “Supporting Palestinian life, safety and freedom does not require me to betray someone I know to be a good human being. It requires me to keep the focus where it belongs, on the people suffering, and on the people with the power to stop it.
“If we have this much energy for artists, we should have more for the people with actual power, governments, leaders, diplomats, policy makers, arms suppliers, and anyone with the authority to stop bombs, protect civilians, release hostages, open humanitarian access, uphold international law and work towards peace.”
He added: “My career has been my dream since I was a little boy, and I know I’m still on my journey. But if it means risking parts of that dream to bring awareness, compassion and rationale to this subject, then so be it.
“I cannot live in a world where children are not even allowed to have dreams because of the terrifying world they were born into.”
Pink Floyd star Roger Waters also criticised Sheeran in a post on X, where he called him a “prick” for doing what he called “the wrong thing”, while praising Macklemore for doing “the right thing”.
It comes after all of Sheeran’s current support acts, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, US musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, as well as his backing band Beoga, all posted on social media that they had withdrawn from the tour.
Rowe said on Instagram he did not take the decision to quit the tour “lightly”, adding Sheeran “has been a friend to me and has changed my life”.
The singer said: “I 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 murder of children.
“I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.
“I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.”
In their post, Beoga said: “We have made the decision to depart as Ed Sheeran’s band on the remaining US Loop tour, following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies.”
The band added: “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.”
Finneas said: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.”
Macklemore commented on each of the posts with a love heart emoji and the Palestinian flag.
Graham said: “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.
“I love Ed … I’m grateful for everything we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand. We’re withdrawing from the remaining dates.
“I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”
On Monday, Macklemore posted on Instagram claiming Sheeran and his team had “made the decision to remove” him from the Loop Tour.
In a response on the social media platform on Tuesday, Sheeran said his departure from the tour was the promoter’s decision and not his.
He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added Robert Kraft, owner of the Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.
Sheeran added: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this 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.”
The Shape Of You singer said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
Elan Carr, chief executive of the Israeli-American Council, which started a petition to have Macklemore removed from the tour, called the rapper’s actions “outrageous” on BBC Radio 4’s Today, claiming his words “slander the State of Israel and the Jewish people” and called them “a blood libel”.
Sheeran’s next performance is scheduled for September 19 at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Graham and Rowe were planned to open for him.
He has 17 dates still left on the tour across North and South America, with the final show scheduled for December 11 in Mexico City.
Sheeran and Macklemore’s representatives were contacted for comment.
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