Ed Sheeran Says Promoter, Not Him, Pulled Macklemore From the Loop Tour

Ed Sheeran is speaking up about why Macklemore is no longer opening on the Loop Tour, and his answer surprised a lot of fans. According to Sheeran, venues on the upcoming dates told him they would pull shows if Macklemore kept voicing support for Palestine from the stage. Sheeran says the decision to remove him came from the promoter, not from him, and that Macklemore’s contract was never with Sheeran in the first place.

The timing traces back to two New Jersey shows on September 4 and 5, where Macklemore led“Free Palestine”chants and performed“Hind’s Hall.”When the promoter made the call to take him off the tour, Macklemore didn’t exactly tiptoe around it. He said that if those words cost him the stage but turned the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour he’s ever been on. He also said he hopes the whole situation doesn’t ruin a friendship with Sheeran that goes back nearly 13 years. Kehlani, Zara Larsson, and others have since spoken up in Macklemore’s corner.

Sheeran said he spent the week trying to build a bridge and declined to share his own personal take on the conflict. So it leaves a question that plenty of folks are chewing on right now. When the venue, the promoter, and the artist don’t see eye to eye, who should get the final say about what happens on that stage? We want to hear where you land.