Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour has lost its remaining scheduled opening acts after Macklemore was removed from upcoming dates over pro-Palestinian comments he made onstage, turning a dispute over one support slot into a much larger rupture across the stadium tour.
Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Finneas all withdrew September 15th in solidarity with Macklemore. Beoga, the Irish group performing as part of Sheeran’s own headline set, also left the tour.
The departures followed Macklemore’s removal after he called for a “Free Palestine” during Sheeran’s September 5th show at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Messina Touring Group, the AEG-owned promoter behind the tour, has said multiple venues objected to Macklemore remaining on the bill. Sheeran says the final decision to remove him belonged to the promoter rather than to him personally.
By September 16th, the dispute had moved beyond the tour lineup. Macklemore pledged his $1 million in net earnings from the Loop Tour to organizations supporting Palestinians and publicly invited Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft to match the donation. Kraft subsequently announced a $2 million humanitarian commitment.
Three Openers and Beoga Leave the Tour
The withdrawals stripped upcoming Loop Tour dates of virtually the entire support structure that had been announced around them.
Aaron Rowe was scheduled for the remaining 10 North American dates, while Lukas Graham was also due to support upcoming U.S. shows. Finneas had been booked for six South American dates in November, The Washington Post notes.
Beoga occupied a different role. Rather than playing a conventional opening set, the traditional Irish group was appearing during Sheeran’s headline performance, joining him for music the artists had worked on together.
All four announced their departures within hours of one another September 15th.
Finneas tied his decision directly to artist speech. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote in announcing his withdrawal.
Rowe’s decision carried a different personal weight. The Irish singer-songwriter acknowledged that Sheeran was a friend who had changed his life professionally, but said continuing with the tour would conflict with his convictions.
The Guardian documented the departures as they unfolded, including statements from Rowe and Beoga explaining their decisions.
What makes the walkout unusual is its reach. These were not four performers attached to one night. Artists assigned to different geographic legs, along with musicians participating in Sheeran’s own set, independently decided to leave.
Macklemore’s MetLife Comments Started the Break
The dispute began publicly during Sheeran’s two-night stop at MetLife Stadium.
Macklemore had been opening selected Loop Tour dates when he used his September 5th performance to voice support for Palestinians and call for a free Palestine. His political advocacy was not new. The Seattle rapper has released pro-Palestinian songs including “Hind’s Hall” and “Hind’s Hall 2” and has repeatedly addressed Gaza during live appearances.
What changed was the reaction inside the Loop Tour’s stadium network.
After Macklemore was removed from upcoming dates, he said Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, had objected to his participation and encouraged other stadium owners to do the same.
Messina Touring Group confirmed that Gillette Stadium was not the only venue raising concerns. Pitchfork notes that the promoter said multiple venues had joined Kraft’s stadium in opposing Macklemore’s continued presence on the tour.
That does not establish that Kraft personally controlled the final decision.
Sheeran said September 15th that he had been approached by Kraft and other venue owners but maintained that removing Macklemore was ultimately a decision made by Messina Touring Group. His statement also emphasized that he had tried to keep the Loop Tour separate from political messaging.
Macklemore has described his removal as the result of pressure from powerful stadium owners, while Sheeran has placed the final decision with the promoter. The available reporting supports the existence of venue pressure without resolving every private conversation behind the cancellation.
Philadelphia Becomes the Tour’s First Test
The practical consequences arrive almost immediately.
Sheeran’s next scheduled concert is September 19th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The stadium confirmed that the show remains scheduled to proceed, the Los Angeles Times says, but replacement supporting acts had not been finalized in the latest reporting.
Rowe and Lukas Graham had both been connected to the Philadelphia date before withdrawing. Macklemore had previously been removed from the stop.
Replacing a stadium opener on short notice involves more than filling 30 minutes. Any new act has to fit an existing production schedule, technical setup and venue timetable.
Beoga’s departure creates a different problem because the group had been woven into Sheeran’s own performance. The musicians have a long creative history with him and contributed to recordings including “Galway Girl,” making their live appearances part of the headline set rather than disposable pre-show programming.
Philadelphia will therefore provide the first indication of how much the Loop Tour itself changes after the departures.
The Withdrawals Reach Across Two Continents
Loop used a rotating support model rather than carrying one opening act around the entire world, allowing different artists to join Sheeran for specific stretches of the itinerary.
That flexibility now magnifies the disruption.
Rowe and Lukas Graham were attached to remaining U.S. dates, while Finneas was scheduled to join the South American leg later in the year. CBS News details how the artists were distributed across the tour.
The decisions also carry different professional stakes. Finneas is an established Grammy-winning producer and solo artist. Lukas Graham has years of international touring behind him. Rowe is at an earlier stage of his career and publicly acknowledged how important Sheeran had been to his professional trajectory.
Walking away did not represent the same calculation for every artist involved, even though their decisions arrived within the same narrow window.
Macklemore Turns Tour Earnings Into Gaza Aid
By September 16th, Macklemore had redirected the dispute toward humanitarian aid.
He announced that his net earnings from the Loop Tour, which he put at $1 million, would be donated to organizations supporting Palestinians through food, medical care and other humanitarian assistance.
“I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs,” Macklemore wrote while announcing the donation.
He also publicly challenged Kraft to match the $1 million commitment. Pitchfork documented the pledge and subsequently updated its coverage after Kraft responded.
Kraft announced that he would commit $2 million toward humanitarian relief in the Middle East. His response did not resolve the underlying disagreement over Macklemore’s removal, but it turned the financial part of the challenge into competing aid commitments.
Jewish Telegraphic Agency examined Kraft’s September 17th pledge, including questions around how the money would ultimately be directed.
Macklemore’s decision also gives the money he already earned from the tour a different destination after his remaining appearances disappeared. The income from those completed dates is now being used to reinforce the position that contributed to the dispute surrounding his removal.
The Fallout Exposes Who Controls a Stadium Tour
The Loop controversy has made the machinery behind a stadium tour unusually visible.
A concert may be marketed primarily around one artist’s name, but the headliner is not the only party capable of affecting what happens inside the building. Promoters, venue operators, stadium owners, production companies and local partners all play roles in getting a show onstage.
Reporting on the Loop dispute shows that tension directly. Macklemore has focused on pressure from Kraft and other stadium owners. Sheeran says he did not make the final decision. Messina Touring Group has acknowledged objections from multiple venues.
Axios highlighted those power dynamics as the tour began losing its support acts, illustrating how venue pressure can complicate even a stadium run built around one of the world’s biggest touring artists.
The situation does not establish a universal rule about who controls political speech on concert stages. Tour contracts vary, venue agreements differ and no complete set of contracts governing these Loop dates has been made public.
Claims that the episode establishes a new legal or labor precedent would therefore go beyond the available evidence.
What the withdrawals do demonstrate is simpler: support artists can decline the slot when continuing no longer aligns with their own position.
The Loop Tour Is Still Moving Forward
For now, Sheeran has not canceled the Loop Tour.
Lincoln Financial Field’s September 19th concert remains scheduled, and Philadelphia reporting confirms that the stadium is preparing for Sheeran’s first show since the support acts withdrew.
The unanswered question is what the audience will see before and during his set.
Replacement openers had not been publicly confirmed in the latest reporting, and Beoga’s departure could require changes inside Sheeran’s own performance. Additional dates across North America and South America remain on the itinerary.
Whatever happens in Philadelphia will provide the first indication of how quickly a stadium tour of this size can rebuild after losing performers assigned across multiple legs.
The political dispute itself is unlikely to disappear with a new opening act. Macklemore has turned his removal into a $1 million humanitarian pledge, Kraft has responded with $2 million, and Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas and Beoga have attached their names to the decision to leave.
The Loop Tour is continuing. The lineup around Ed Sheeran is not the one that was supposed to be there.