Ed Sheeran adds Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser to Loop Tour dates after opener exits

Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour has new opening acts for selected US shows: former The Fray singer Isaac Slade is listed for four dates, and American Idol contestant Brooks Rosser is set for Indianapolis on 10 October. The bookings, reported on Friday 9 October, follow the departure of the tour’s earlier supporting acts.

Rosser called the Indianapolis concert his first show since American Idol. In an Instagram post quoted by RTÉ, he said he was ‘beyond excited and grateful’ to open for Sheeran at Lucas Oil Stadium. Slade’s message accompanying his dates was shorter: ‘See you out there.’

Which Ed Sheeran dates will Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser play?

Slade’s reported support dates are Indianapolis on 10 October, Charlotte on 17 October, Arlington on 24 October and Tampa on 7 November. Rosser’s reported booking is the Indianapolis show. The two names appearing in the same announcement does not mean both are booked for every one of those concerts.

Slade has already appeared with Sheeran on this run: RTÉ reports that he performed at the Atlanta show on 3 October. He was previously the lead singer of The Fray. Rosser was a contestant on season 24 of American Idol, making the Indianapolis stadium date the first performance since the show that he identified in his post.

Why did the Loop Tour need new opening acts?

The changes began in September, when Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s tour after comments in support of Palestinians at a New Jersey concert. The Guardian reported that, during a 4 September speech at MetLife Stadium, the rapper told people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank that they had not been forgotten and said ‘free Palestine’.

A petition called for Macklemore to be removed. The Guardian reported that venue owners objected to his continued appearance on the tour. Sheeran said the decision to remove him was made by the promoter, not by him, and that he had tried to find a solution. Those were his statements during the September dispute, rather than a new explanation for this week’s bookings.

Other performers then left upcoming dates. The Guardian reported that Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham withdrew after Macklemore’s removal. Their public statements described the departures as acts of solidarity or protest. The exits left Sheeran’s support lineup unsettled before the newly reported Slade and Rosser dates.

The withdrawals were a substantial change to the planned shows. The Guardian reported at the time that Rowe had been scheduled for the remaining North American dates, while Finneas was due to open six South American shows. Beoga had performed as Sheeran’s backing band. The new announcement covers specific US opening slots; it does not establish replacements for all of those earlier roles.

What did Ed Sheeran say about Macklemore’s removal?

In his September statement, Sheeran wrote: ‘Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.’ He said venue owners had refused to host the tour with Macklemore on the bill and that his attempts to bring the parties together had failed. He also said he would not abandon fans who had made plans or the crew and performers who depended on the shows for work.

The Guardian also reported a statement from Robert Kraft, whose group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. Kraft objected to Macklemore performing there, citing what he called the rapper’s recent actions and a broader history of rhetoric and imagery he considered offensive to Jewish people. Kraft said he would welcome a conversation with Macklemore. Those objections are part of the reported dispute; they are not findings about the new opening acts.

What remains unannounced for the Loop Tour?

The immediate change for concertgoers is clear: Indianapolis has both newly announced performers, while Slade is also listed for Charlotte, Arlington and Tampa. Whether more names will join the tour is still an open question.