{
  "id": 8611753,
  "title": "One ‘Free Palestine’ speech triggered a crisis for Ed Sheeran’s tour",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/one-free-palestine-speech-triggered-a-crisis-for-ed-sheerans-tour",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-20T05:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IOL",
    "slug": "iol",
    "url": "https://iol.co.za/entertainment/music/2026-09-20-one-free-palestine-speech-triggered-a-crisis-for-ed-sheerans-tour/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "British pop star Ed Sheeran has lost all of the musicians booked to open his upcoming concerts after rapper Macklemore was dropped from the lineup over pro-Palestine remarks. The dispute erupted after Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, joined Sheeran’s Loop tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month. He told the crowd “Free Palestine” before performing Hind’s Hall, his protest song about the Gaza war, and later said he had been removed from the remaining dates after several venues objected to his participation. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham have all pulled out in protest, citing Macklemore’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}