All Support Acts Exit Ed Sheeran's US Tour After Macklemore Dropped

Ed Sheeran is plunged into greater crisis. All four opening acts for the Grammy winner's Loop Tour dropped out of the lineup in protest after rapper Macklemore was removed as an opener for his pro-Palestine comments onstage.

Among them were Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, who said in a statement: "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed." Finneas was due to appear during the South American portion of the tour in November.

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham also revealed their departure. Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night, dropped out too. Rowe wrote, "I have made the decision to withdraw as a support act for Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Loop’ North American Tour. 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."

Macklemore Controversy Details

The Irish band Beoga insisted, "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… We are Irish people who understand colonialism".

Macklemore said in a statement Monday that Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft Kraft rallied other stadium owners to ban his performances at their venues. Kraft also confirmed later that he had objected to Macklemore performing in his stadium.

“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech,” Kraft told TMZ.

"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran stated in a post on Instagram after the rapper announced that he's being dropped.

"I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."