All of Ed Sheeran's opening acts withdraw from tour in support of Macklemore over Palestine

Ed Sheeran was forced to cancel all opening acts for his Loop tour after four performers withdrew in support of Macklemore's pro-Palestine stance. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Danish group Lukas Graham, and Irish folk band Beoga announced their withdrawals on Tuesday, just hours after Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding Macklemore's removal.

Finneas had been scheduled to perform six South American dates, while Rowe was set to appear at 10 remaining North American shows. Beoga, who has supported Sheeran for over a decade, were also part of the touring lineup. The withdrawals came after Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates following his comments in a speech at Sheeran's MetLife Stadium show in New Jersey, where he said "free Palestine".

Macklemore's comments sparked a petition from the Israeli American Council and objections from some venue owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium. Sheeran stated that several stadium owners had refused to host upcoming shows if Macklemore remained on the bill. Sheeran expressed his efforts to find a solution but ultimately decided to cancel the tour and support his touring crew and other artists.