Who Were Ed Sheeran’s Concert Openers? Singer’s Loop Tour in Jeopardy as He’s Forced to Make Changes after Losing All Opening Acts Amid Macklemore Drama

Ed Sheeran has pushed back the start time of his upcoming concert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after losing all of his opening acts following Macklemore’s removal from the Loop Tour over his “Free Palestine” speech.

The show at Lincoln Financial Field was originally scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, but the start time has now been changed to 8 p.m., which was when Sheeran had initially been expected to perform after the opening acts, according to the Daily Mail. The other North American tour dates, however, remain scheduled for 5:30 p.m. start, while Sheeran has yet to reveal whether replacement opening acts will be added in the coming days.

Ed Sheeran in Trouble

The original opening acts — Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga — all withdrew from the tour on Tuesday in support of Macklemore. Finneas said in an Instagram post, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. … I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Macklemore was dropped from the lineup after he shouted “Free Palestine” and performed his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall” during his set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.

The song is named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza.

The “Thrift Shop” rapper later addressed his removal in an Instagram statement, saying Sheeran and his team “made the decision to remove [him] from the ‘Loop’ tour.”

Macklemore said Sheeran, whom he called as a “brother,” told him that Robert Kraft — owner of the Kraft Group, which operates Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts — had said Macklemore would not be allowed to perform there.

Sheeran later addressed the issue in an Instagram statement, saying Macklemore’s removal was the “promoter’s decision” rather than his own. He explained that the rapper’s contract was “with the promoter” and not with Sheeran.

Blame Game Starts

The “Shape of You” singer said he tried to “build a bridge” between the two sides, but ultimately, the dispute centered on “Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance.”

Sheeran has since faced criticism from his own cousin, Jethro Sheeran, who called him “selfish,” “malicious” and “cunning.” In an Instagram post Thursday, Jethro accused the musician of being a “bad human” who has “only cared about himself.”

“He puts out [a] fake narrative that’s calculated just to keep everyone happy so he can do big, private gigs and keep brand deals, etc. I agree with all of the comments he’s [gotten] and [the] bad press,” Jethro wrote in part.

Some fans have also called for refunds on their concert tickets, arguing that ticketing platforms could “sell them to someone else” after Macklemore was removed from the Loop Tour.