Jack Antonoff says Ed Sheeran should have canceled tour over Macklemore removal
Antonoff said Sheeran could have played free shows outside venues after Macklemore was removed from the Loop Tour. A claim about pressure from other stadium owners remains unconfirmed.
Jack Antonoff criticised Ed Sheeran’s removal of Macklemore from the North American leg of the Loop Tour in an interview published Sunday, October 25, saying Sheeran should have canceled the tour and played free shows outside its venues instead. His comments put renewed attention on the dispute over Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian remarks at earlier shows.
Sheeran ‘missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there,’ Antonoff told The Guardian, according to Rolling Stone. Antonoff proposed raising money through performances outside each venue rather than letting a billionaire dictate what happened to the tour. The Hollywood Reporter also attributed his remarks to the Guardian interview.
Why Macklemore was removed from the Loop Tour
Rolling Stone reported that Macklemore was dropped in September after owners of several stadiums said he would not be allowed to perform at their venues. At the tour’s first two shows, at MetLife Stadium outside New York City, Macklemore called for a ‘Free Palestine,’ expressed solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, showed images of destruction in Gaza and performed his protest song ‘Hind’s Hall.’
Macklemore said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft barred him from Gillette Stadium and claimed Kraft pressed other stadium owners to push Sheeran to drop him or face canceled shows, Rolling Stone reported. Kraft confirmed barring Macklemore from Gillette Stadium but did not address the claim that he rallied other owners. That wider pressure campaign remains Macklemore’s account.
Macklemore also said Sheeran’s usual apolitical stance had been challenged and that the singer could not move past his public position of not taking sides, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet reported that tour openers Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe subsequently left in solidarity with Macklemore.
Antonoff’s response and Sheeran’s remarks
Antonoff said the episode made him more willing to express support for Palestinians and say ‘Free Palestine’ onstage. Asked about potential objections from promoters or venue owners, he said he would play outside for free if they tried to control what he could say. He described the issue as part of a broader concern about billionaires’ influence over performers.
Sheeran addressed the controversy at a Philadelphia concert, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He called the October 7 attack in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival horrific, and described events in Gaza as catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate. Macklemore, meanwhile, announced a Free Palestine tour, with a Dublin opening show scheduled for October 26 and a London finale scheduled for October 30, according to the outlet.
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Sources and context
- Jack Antonoff Knocks Ed Sheeran for Caving to Billionaire's Demand to Drop MacklemoreRolling Stone
- Jack Antonoff Blasts Ed Sheeran Over Removing Macklemore From Tour Over Palestine Comments: “Stand The F*** Up”The Hollywood Reporter
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