More opening acts are exiting Ed Sheeran's tour, this time voluntarily.
Musicians Finneas O'Connell, Lukas Graham, Beoga and Aaron Rowe have all dropped out of the "Shape of You" singer's Loop Tour after rapper Macklemore was dropped as an opening act due to on-stage pro-Palestinian comments at a Sept. 4 show.
In a statement shared Tuesday, Sept. 15 on Instagram, the 29-year-old Grammy-winning producer and brother of Billie Eilish said that he decided to withdraw his upcoming tour dates with Sheeran. The "Birds of a Feather" producer was initially slated to perform in six South American shows in November and December.
"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas wrote. "I stand with Palestine and its people."
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TODAY has reached out to representatives of Sheeran and Macklemore for comment as well as the acts that exited Sheeran's tour.
The latest exits comes after Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind the U.S. leg of Sheeran's tour, confirmed to Rolling Stone on Sept. 14 that Macklemore was dropped as an opener for future dates. "We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans," the company said.
The decision comes after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft opposed the "Thrift Shop" rapper performing at Gillette Stadium, and other venues objected to his involvement in the remainder of the show.
Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe more explain their exits
More artists also shared separate statements publicly quitting the Loop Tour on social media, with the band Lucas Graham writing on Instagram Sept. 15, "I’m sorry we won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by."
"It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love," the band wrote. "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."
The "7 Years" band 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. I love Ed, and I’m grateful for everything we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand."
Rowe wrote on Instagram Sept. 15: "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.
"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," he added.
Beoga wrote on Instagram Sept. 15 that despite being friends with Sheeran for over a decade, they "believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestian 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 Irish band wrote. "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."
Ed Sheeran said he not decide to drop Macklemore
Following mounting backlash, the "Perfect" singer said that he did not make the decision to drop Macklemore from his tour.
In a six-slide statement posted to Instagram on Sept. 15, Sheeran wrote: "I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. 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.
"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran emphasized. "Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me."
He defended his decision, writing, "I am not complicit" and said "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."
In a Sept. 14 statement shared on Instagram, Macklemore said that "Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour." He wrote that Sheeran was in a difficult position and that the two had a "painful disagreement" over the controversy but indicated that their dispute did not mean their longtime friendship is neccesarily over.
"Our friendship can't change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened," he added.
What did Macklemore say about Palestine at Ed Sheeran's show?
During a Sheeran concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, on Sept. 4, the rapper wore a kaffiyeh, performed his pro-Palestinian protest song "Hind's Hall," and told the crowd that a "big part of the reason" he wanted to join the tour was to advocate for a "free Palestine," which he said was "very near and fear to my heart."
"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," he said.
He reiterated the comments the following day at the Sept. 5 show.
In Sheeran's statement he said that "I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said."
Sheeran clarified that he respects Macklemore’s determination to advocate publicly for his beliefs but argued that artists can take different approaches while seeking the same outcome.
What did Robert Kraft say?
In a statement with USA TODAY on Sept. 14, Kraft wrote that Macklemore could not perform at Gillette Stadium because of his "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."
Continuing: "This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike," he wrote.
He said he agrees with Macklemore that "too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering" before countering that "only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate."
"Over many decades, I have directed resources to Palestine and created athletic and entrepreneurial opportunities for Palestinians who I admire and respect. Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive," he wrote.
Contributing: Sameen Chaudhry, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Finneas, Lukas Graham, more drop from Ed Sheeran's tour after Macklemore's exit
