Irish musician Aaron Rowe has backed out of being the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour North American tour following the country’s troubled past and Israel’s war in Gaza, after Macklemore was removed from the tour because of the rapper’s calls for Free Palestine.
The Irish singer announced it on Instagram by posting a split picture of him and Sheeran, along with a detailed statement explaining his decision.
“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,” Rowe wrote. “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life; I could never thank him enough for this.”
The singer also connected his withdrawal to his Irish background.
“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” Rowe wrote. “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,” he added. “I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland. FREE PALESTINE”
Aaron Rowe is a singer-songwriter from Dublin and one of the most prominent supporting artists on this tour. He was supposed to perform at every show starting September 19 in Philadelphia and would have performed only as a support act at the Hard Rock Live concerts in Hollywood, Florida.
The tour was scheduled to start again on Saturday in Philadelphia, with upcoming venues including Gillette Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The North American leg of the tour should end on November 7 in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Rowe withdrew from the tour following Macklemore, who was removed after performing in two concerts at MetLife Stadium this month. Macklemore used the phrase “Free Palestine” on stage when introducing his protest song Hind’s Hall at the September 5th concert.
In his statement to Rolling Stone, the promoter of the tour, Messina Touring Group, said that venues of upcoming shows in the United States informed them that they wouldn’t allow a concert to take place with Macklemore in the lineup, and allowing it would have meant the cancellation of the tour, which could have impacted hundreds of thousands of fans. Macklemore was going to perform at eight of ten remaining shows.
Macklemore said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other NFL stadium owners pressured Sheeran and forced him to remove Macklemore from the lineup, insisting the tour wouldn’t happen without Macklemore’s exclusion. Kraft admitted that Macklemore was forbidden to perform at Gillette Stadium but didn’t say he took similar action at other venues. He said that the decision was made because of recent statements by the rapper and his long-time antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Ed Sheeran addressed the situation on Instagram on Tuesday. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine,” he wrote. The British singer said he won’t get involved in debates about the war in Gaza. According to Sheeran, he has his own opinion about the situation but won’t express it during his concerts because fans attend to have a political-free experience. Sheeran also respects Macklemore’s courage to defend his opinion because there are many ways to make peace.
Macklemore’s statement received mixed reviews online, including from popular artist Pink, who previously called for the rapper to be excluded from the tour. In his statement, Macklemore hoped that the dispute wouldn’t damage his 13-year-long friendship with Sheeran.
