Ed Sheeran has found an unexpected defender in Aaron Rowe, one of the opening acts who initially pulled out of his ongoing LOOP Tour following the severe backlash surrounding Macklemore’s controversial "Free Palestine" speech. Despite previously stepping away from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, the Irish singer-songwriter delivered an impassioned defense of Sheeran in a video posted to Instagram, shifting the focus of public outrage away from the British pop star and toward stadium executives and powerful lobby groups.
The unfolding controversy stems from a series of events earlier this month at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where Macklemore, serving as an opening act on Sheeran’s LOOP Tour, used his platform to deliver a politically charged speech. During his sets on September 4 and September 5, Macklemore—whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty—chanted "Free Palestine," told the crowd that every human being deserved the same freedom, and expressed a desire for people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He then performed his protest song Hind’s Hall while graphic images of the devastation in Gaza were projected onto the big screens at the venue, while also wearing a keffiyeh during parts of his performance.
Following his remarks, Macklemore faced a rigorous boycott petition led by the Israeli-American Council, which insisted he be dropped from the remaining dates of the tour due to his blunt and direct onstage language. The pressure ultimately resulted in Macklemore being cut from the remainder of the LOOP Tour, a decision that triggered a cascade of secondary walkouts and widespread public debate.
While Rowe was among the artists who initially quit the tour in response to Macklemore’s removal, his recent social media statements struck a markedly different chord regarding Sheeran himself. In a video shared to Instagram, Rowe caught many followers by surprise by arguing that detractors were misdirecting their anger and that the primary target of public vitriol should instead be New England Patriots owner and stadium mogul Robert Kraft.
"I’m gonna be honest. I think you are all focusing on the wrong person here," Rowe began in his video message. "All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that—when you really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft. You really should be focusing on the Zionist lobbies that are trying to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide, the genocide that is happening in Palestine right now by Israel."
Rowe emphasized that public anger should be directed toward figures like Kraft, rather than targeting Sheeran over decisions largely driven by external pressures and venue management. "You should be using this opportunity to plaster Robert Kraft’s face everywhere, someone who tried to shut down free speech, someone who tried to silence the voices of people who are shouting out genocide," Rowe continued. "That’s what you should be using your energy on, not fing Ed Sheeran, for f‘s sake."
The controversy deepened on Tuesday when Ed Sheeran published an open letter addressing the intense fallout over Macklemore’s removal from the tour. In his statement, the 35-year-old singer clarified that dropping Macklemore was not entirely his own creative decision, but rather a move forced by concert promoters acting under heavy pressure from Robert Kraft, the 85-year-old billionaire owner of Gillette Stadium who had officially banned Macklemore from performing at his venue.
Rowe acknowledged that Sheeran’s public statement regarding the situation could have been handled better, but he expressed strong personal conviction that the British star regrets how the situation unfolded. "I haven’t had a chance to fing talk to Ed too much, but I fully believe he knows that was a mistake," Rowe said, adding that the broader lineup of supporting artists on the tour shared pro-Palestinian sentiments. "Like, if Ed Sheeran was a fing Zionist, why would he have all these fing people on the fing tour?"
During his video address, Rowe also broadened his critique to encompass his home country of Ireland, international governments, mainstream media outlets, and the wider music industry, accusing them of systemic inaction in the face of the humanitarian crisis. He claimed these powerful institutions wield enough financial and political leverage to suppress opinions that challenge prevailing narratives.
The bitter fallout from the tour cancellations and subsequent political debate has taken a heavy and immediate toll on Sheeran’s commercial momentum, particularly as he prepares to take the stage. Sheeran’s upcoming concert at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field marks his first live performance since Macklemore was officially and permanently dropped from the tour roster on Monday.
Ahead of the Philadelphia performance, the ongoing drama has resulted in noticeable ticket sales humiliation. Hours before the scheduled showtime, hundreds of tickets remained available for purchase across various seating tiers at significantly reduced prices, reflecting a stark dip in immediate consumer demand compared to the usual sold-out status of Sheeran’s stadium-scale outings.
In an additional logistical adjustment viewed by industry observers as a humiliating blow, show organizers were forced to alter the event’s schedule at the eleventh hour. Speculation within the industry suggested that the alteration was made because organizers were unable to secure replacement opening acts on such short notice. The concert, which was originally planned to begin at 5:30 p.m. with opening acts before Sheeran took the stage at 8:00 p.m., was pushed back entirely to an 8:00 p.m. start time, at which point Sheeran will perform his set as the sole headliner.
Macklemore, meanwhile, has largely doubled down on his pro-Palestinian positions rather than backing away from the controversy in the wake of his removal. Representatives for both Macklemore and Ed Sheeran have been approached by media outlets for comment regarding the ongoing tour developments, venue bans, and subsequent public commentary, but have yet to issue further formal statements.
