Irish musicians are among the support acts pulling out of Ed Sheeran’s US tour following the removal of Macklemore from the line-up.
The Thrift Shop rapper had been among the support acts for Sheeran’s Loop tour, but this week confirmed he had been removed.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, used his opening slot at the MetLife Stadium show in New Jersey to speak about the war in Gaza.
Soon after, he revealed he had been axed from the tour after Ed was given an ultimatum by venues and promoters.
Now, Aaron Rowe and Beoga have both confirmed they will no longer be performing during the tour.
A statement from Dublin singer-songwriter Aaron noted that the decision hadn’t been easy, and the Shape of You singer had ‘changed my life.’
He wrote: ‘I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children.
‘I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.’
Similarly, Irish folk band Beoga confirmed they had decided to pull out of the tour amid the controversy.
‘We are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us,’ they said. ‘We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be. We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people.
‘As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.’
The group added that they ‘fully supported’ Macklemore’s message at the Met Life Stadium, along with ‘most of the audience.’
‘This whole episode is once again serving to distract from the real issue, over 10000 Palestinians have been killed since the most recent so-called ceasefire,’ the band added.
Singer-songwriter Finneas, who is the brother of Billie Eilish, has also withdrawn from the tour.
‘Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,’ he said, when confirming he would not be performing at the tour.
On Tuesday, Sheeran took to social media where he outlined that it had been the promoters that removed Macklemore and not him.
‘I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,’ he said. ‘The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy. There are too many wars across the world causing immeasurable pain, none of which should be tolerated.
‘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 venues and promoter’s decision was final.’
