Ed Sheeran set to resume tour after Macklemore was controversially dropped for making pro-Palestine comments
Ed Sheeran Faces Philadelphia Show After Support Acts Exit Tour
Poinews.com – Ed Sheeran is scheduled to return to the stage on Saturday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field after a turbulent week that saw every planned support act pull out of his tour. The withdrawals followed the removal of US opening act Macklemore after he shouted “Free Palestine” during a 5 September concert in New Jersey.
The Philadelphia concert is still set to go ahead, with tickets remaining available as of Friday. No new opening performers were listed on Sheeran’s website, leaving open the possibility that the singer could perform without the usual lineup of guests and supporting musicians.
Uncertainty over the stage lineup
Sheeran has often played large portions of his Loop Tour alone, using his familiar one-man performance setup. However, Irish folk group Beoga had joined him for several songs at stops on the tour. Their departure means Saturday’s show could look significantly different from the format audiences had expected.
Macklemore had originally been booked as the US opener. Danish group Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe were later named as replacements, but both subsequently withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore. Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and longtime musical collaborator, was also due to appear with Sheeran during a South American leg later this year. He exited the tour earlier this week as well.
Sheeran has made no public statement since the other artists withdrew their support. His Saturday performance will take place as a coalition of pro-Palestinian organisations plans a protest outside the stadium during the afternoon.
How the dispute unfolded
The controversy began with Macklemore’s on-stage pro-Palestinian statement in New Jersey. He was then dropped from the tour in a decision Sheeran said was not his own. The move came after pressure from Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, whose company owns a stadium where the tour had been due to perform on Friday.
Sheeran has maintained that the promoter held ultimate responsibility for removing Macklemore. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Grammy-winning artist said he had tried to find a way through the dispute by speaking extensively with the venues during the week.
“I spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge.”
He also said he did not want to turn his concerts into a forum for discussion of the war in Gaza. Sheeran argued that people attending his shows were not there to hear him address those issues, while stressing that he would not deliberately disappoint fans or walk away from the touring crew and others whose livelihoods depend on the concerts.
“Free Palestine”
The phrase Macklemore used at the 5 September show has become central to the dispute, prompting an unusually public debate over artistic expression, venue influence and the extent to which a headline performer controls decisions around a major stadium tour.
Donations announced after the withdrawals
On Wednesday, Macklemore said he would donate $1 million (€871m) to Palestinian relief efforts and urged Kraft to make an equivalent contribution. A spokesperson for Kraft said that Kraft and Sheeran had each agreed to donate $2 million (€1.74m), although no destination for those funds has been identified publicly.
The financial pledges have not resolved the question of how the tour will proceed in the immediate term. With Macklemore, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Finneas no longer involved, Sheeran’s Philadelphia appearance will be watched closely for any indication of whether the tour’s presentation changes further.
A major tour under unusual pressure
The Loop Tour has been one of the biggest live music attractions in the world. In May, Pollstar said it was the highest-grossing tour globally, averaging more than $7 million (€6m) in box-office revenue per city. By the end of 2025, Sheeran ranked as the third-highest-earning concert artist since 2021.
That scale makes the current disruption notable. Stadium tours depend on a wide network of promoters, venues, local staff, touring crews and featured performers. Although venues and promoters can exert substantial control over what is permitted at a show, experts have said that an artist with Sheeran’s stature would generally be expected to have significant influence over decisions affecting the tour.
For fans heading to Lincoln Financial Field, the practical issue is straightforward: the concert remains on, but its opening lineup is no longer intact. Sheeran has built much of his live reputation on being able to carry a stadium performance by himself, yet the loss of his guests and support acts adds uncertainty to a show that arrives amid a highly charged public dispute.
Saturday’s concert will therefore serve as more than the next date on a major international tour. It will test how Sheeran navigates an altered bill, planned demonstrations and ongoing scrutiny over the decision that led to Macklemore’s removal.
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