Photo: Harald Krichel, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Ed Sheeran played Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 19, his first concert since Macklemore was removed from his U.S. tour and three opening acts withdrew over the decision, according to reporting from CNN and Al Jazeera.
How the dispute started
Macklemore was dropped from the tour after saying “free Palestine” during a New Jersey tour date on September 5. Reporting from CNN and Al Jazeera says businessman Robert Kraft, whose company owns a stadium on the tour route, pushed for his removal. In response, three scheduled opening acts, Finneas, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Irish singer Aaron Rowe, withdrew from various tour dates, citing support for Macklemore and for Palestinian causes.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel called for a boycott of Sheeran’s entire world tour, and a pro-Palestinian rally was organized near the Philadelphia venue ahead of Saturday’s show. Al Jazeera also reported that artists in Gaza created a mural honoring Macklemore, reading “Thank you for using your voice for Palestine.”
Sheeran addresses the controversy
According to CNN, Sheeran told the Philadelphia crowd he was “not complicit” in the decision to remove Macklemore and said he did not consider himself responsible for it. The show went ahead as scheduled despite the calls for a boycott.
Neither Kraft’s company nor Macklemore’s representatives were quoted directly in the reports reviewed for this story. This is a developing story, and we will update it as more of the parties involved comment publicly.