Macklemore has been removed from the remaining support dates on Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour after venues objected to his place on the lineup. The change lands before the tour’s return in Philadelphia on Sept. 19, and it strips Macklemore from a run that was supposed to carry through eight of the 10 shows left.
MetLife Stadium backlash
Two shows at MetLife Stadium outside New York City on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 set off the chain reaction. At the first show, Macklemore yelled “Free Palestine,” said he stood with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, showed images from Gaza, and performed “Hind’s Hall.”
Messina Touring Group said venues on the upcoming U.S. dates told the promoter they would not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup. The promoter said that response would result in the cancellation of the tour and affect hundreds of thousands of fans, which is why the lineup was cut before the Philadelphia date.
Pink on the backlash
Pink pushed back on the pressure campaign around the performance. “I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now. I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund. What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
That puts the dispute in sharper focus: Pink said she did not want Macklemore silenced, while pro-Israel groups accused him of anti-Israel propaganda and venues objected to his remaining appearances. StopAntisemitism said he had ambushed fans with “anti-Israel propaganda” in an Instagram post, while the promoter moved to protect the rest of the stadium run.
Philadelphia on Sept. 19
Macklemore’s removal leaves Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to restart without the rapper on the support bill. For fans holding tickets, the practical change is simple: the remaining U.S. stadium dates are moving forward without the act that triggered the venue dispute, and the promoter has already framed the decision as the alternative to a broader shutdown.
Israeli-American Council targets Ed Sheeran Macklemore removal after Friday plea adds another layer to the pressure surrounding the dates, but the business decision is already plain. If a venue will not accept a performer on the bill, the tour either removes that performer or risks losing the date altogether; here, the tour chose removal.
