On Sept. 14, Macklemore was cut from Ed Sheeran’s tour after only two performances. Several other openers removed themselves from the tour in support of Macklemore. Sheeran blamed the decision on his concert promoter, Messina Touring Group.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore said during his opening performance.
His performances included deeming the situation a genocide and playing song lyrics pointed to the attacks.
The Messina Touring Group said the removal of Macklemore was due to external pressure threatening Sheeran’s schedule. One example of this pressure was Kraft’s Gillette Stadium, owned and operated by Robert Kraft. Kraft jeopardized Sheeran’s tour by saying he would not be allowed to play at the stadium if Macklemore–who Kraft believed used hate speech in his performances– remained as an opener.
“I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost, and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate,” Kraft said.
What followed was tense conversations between the two artists, who ultimately could not reach an agreement. Following the drop, Macklemore was open on his social media accounts, saying he understands the financial pressure and the role it played in this decision but, “there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.”
On Sheeran’s Philadelphia stop, he spoke to the audience regarding the decision made earlier.
Sheeran commended Macklemore for his “strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.”
“I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” Sheeran said.
He continued the monologue, calling out the attacks and the war in Gaza. Still, fans criticized the comments since they were made only after the decision reached public attention. Others say Sheeran prioritized finances.
The situation had fans confused and led to the question: what role should musicians have in politics?