Ed Sheeran Loses All 'Loop Tour' Opening Acts as Finneas, Aaron Rowe, & Lukas Graham Drop Out in Support of Macklemore & Palestine | Just Jared
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Ed Sheeran has lost of all of his opening acts.
The day after it was announced that Macklemore has been removed from the Loop Tour after making pro-Palestine comments, Grammy winner Finneas, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, and Danish pop singer Lukas Graham have all announced that they are dropping out of the tour in support of Macklemore and Palestine.
If you didn’t know, Macklemore, Finneas, Aaron, and Lukas were all serving as opening acts on the North American leg of Ed‘s tour.
It was also just announced that Beoga, the band that plays with Ed during the Loop Tour shows, has also dropped out.
Why Finneas dropped out of the tour
Finneas took to Instagram on Tuesday (September 15) to announce that he has pulled out of Ed‘s tour.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he began. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran.”
“I stand with Palestine and its people,” Finneas concluded his message.
Aaron Rowe declares “Free Palestine”
In an message shared on his Instagram, Aaron wrote, “I have made the decision to withdraw as a support act for Ed Sheeran’s ‘The Loop’ North American Tour. I don’t take the decision lightly. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.”
“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he continued. “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,” Aaron wrote. “I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.”
The Irish singer ended his statement by declaring, “Free Palestine.”
Lukas Graham explains why he dropped out
Lukas also took to Instagram to explain why he has decided to drop out of the tour
“It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love,” Lukas began. “We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.”
“I grew up in Christiania, a small community in Denmark where speaking your mind was part of everyday life. Having more money didn’t make your opinion worth more than anyone else’s,” he continued. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
Lukas wrote, “I love Ed, and i’m grateful for everything we’ve shared, That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put those words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand. We’re withdrawing from the remaining dates.”
“I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by,” he concluded.
Beoga slams the silencing of Macklemore by “zionist lobbies”
Beoga has also pulled out of the tour in support of Macklemore and Palestine.
If you didn’t know, the Irish band backs Ed for six songs in the show. Otherwise, Ed performs solo on stage with no band for the rest of the show.
“We have made the decision to depart as Ed Sheeran’s band on the remaining US Loop tour, following the silence of Macklemore by zionist lobbies,” they began their Instagram statement. “We are a traditional band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us. 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,” they continued. “It’s important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the zionist lobby. They have worked tirelessly to silence artists who want to speak freely about a genocide happening before our eyes, for fear of retribution.”
“Research how much Robert Kraft has done to fight the BDS movement. That will give you a sense of what we’ve all been up against,” Beoga wrote. “We were there for Macklemore’s performance and speech. We fully supported his message, so did most of the audience in Met Life Stadium which terrifies the lobbies. Go back and read the transcript if you’re in doubt.”
They continued, “We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists For Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be.”
“This whole episode is once again serving to distract from the real issue, over 1000 Palestinians have been killed since the most recent so-called ceasefire,” Beoga concluded. “Up the workers. Free Palestine.”
Macklemore addresses exit from tour
After making his controversial pro-Palestine comments while opening for Ed at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month, he was removed from the tour, despite being scheduled to perform at several more shows.
Macklemore then released a statement accusing billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft of rallying fellow stadium owners to ban the rapper from the tour due to his comments.
Robert later confirmed that he did not want Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium, though he did not address the claim that he rallied other stadium owners.
If you didn’t see, Ed just broke his silence surrounding the controversy and responded to criticism over his political views.
Find out which stars have publicly supported Macklemore following his removal from the tour.
Posted To:Aaron Rowe Beoga Ed Sheeran Finneas Loop Tour Lukas Graham Macklemore Palestine
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