Another opener has dropped out of Ed Sheeran's tour following Macklemore's exit.

Sheeran is currently on a stadium run for his Loop Tour in support of his eighth studio album, Play. While fans were excited for the “Shape of You” singer to hit the stage, a hiccup occurred after the “Thrift Shop” singer was pulled from the tour after his “Free Palestine” speech. During the Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 shows at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore performed his protest song “Hind's Hall” and advocated for Palestinians in Gaza. Sheeran's other openers were Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham, and Finneas, who have all since pulled out of the tour.

The traditional folk band, who are frequent collaborators of Sheeran, released a statement that said they did not agree with the “silencing” of Macklemore following his pro-Palestinian statements in a post on Instagram.

What did the promotors say about Macklemore's removal from tour?

According to Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, told Rolling Stone about the removal of the rapper: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

The statement follows Robert Kraft — who is the owner of Gillette Stadium — expressing his concern about the upcoming Boston stop of the tour to the Sheeran who seemingly gave the singer an ultimatum: “if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Kraft responded in his own message on social media, writing, “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. Based on Macklemore's recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.”

He added, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike. 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.”

How did Ed Sheeran respond to Macklemore dropping out of Loop Tour?

Article Continues Below

In addition to Sheeran sharing Kraft's thoughts on the possibility of Macklemore showing up to Gillette Stadium, he gave more insight into his own thought process behind the rapper dropping out of the tour. In the statement, he wrote that he does have a position on the war in Gaza but will not be publicly sharing it. He also made sure fans were aware that Macklemore leaving the tour was not his decision but the promoters.

“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting,” Sheeran wrote. “I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. One of those people was Robert Kraft. I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”

Sheeran continued: “Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist. As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.”

He captioned his statement, “It’s important that I set out some facts.”

Sheeran has not yet responded to the other openers leaving the tour or whether they will be replaced. Take a look below at his full statement on the matter: