In a lengthy new statement posted to Instagram, Ed Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore from his tour was not his but that of the promoter Messina Touring Group, combined with pressure from venues.
The singer-songwriter said that after hearing some venues did not want Macklemore to perform after taking issue with his “Free Palestine” comments at MetLife Stadium, he spoke with the owners, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft. His efforts to change their minds, however, were unsuccessful.
“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran wrote. “I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
Sheeran said his goal was to give Macklemore, like any opening artist, a platform to say whatever he wanted. “Macklemore asked to join my tour last year and I agreed, because I respect him as an artist,” Sheeran wrote. “As with all my support acts, I agree that they play a setlist of their choosing.”
Sheeran wrote that his talks with venue owners were ultimately unproductive and that he attempted to get others involved unsuccessfully. “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 wrote.
Of his decision to go with their decision, and not risk the rest of the tour, Sheeran explained: “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.”
Reps for Macklemore, the promoter Messina Touring Group, and Robert Kraft did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.
In his statement, Sheeran took a neutral stance on the war between Israel and Hamas, saying he was “appalled” by the war. “The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy,” he wrote. In another bullet point, he wrote that he was not “complicit” with any particular ideology, adding, “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.
“There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics — my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds,” he continued. “Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.”
Messina Touring Group told Rolling Stone on Monday that Macklemore would no longer remain on the Loop Tour because venues said they would cancel the concerts if he were involved. He was supposed to support Sheeran at eight of the 10 upcoming concerts Sheeran has booked in the U.S.
In his own Instagram statement, Macklemore placed the blame on Kraft and others. “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Kraft responded in his own statement, saying that he had indeed said that Macklemore wasn’t welcome at Gillette Stadium due to how he perceived the rapper’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.” Kraft did not, however, respond to Macklemore’s allegation that he had “rallied” other venues to join him in blacklisting the artist.
When Macklemore performed at the New York City–area MetLife Stadium earlier in September, he yelled “Free Palestine” at the first of two concerts. He also performed a song, “Hind’s Hall,” about Columbia University demonstrators who had occupied a building and named it after Hind Rajab , a six-year-old killed by the Israeli military. He also displayed imagery of the devastation in Gaza.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘Free Palestine,’” he said at the first gig. “I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
Sheeran’s tour has dates scheduled through the fall. Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe are set to open the other dates.
