Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour in Crisis: Band and All Opening Acts Quit Ahead of Philadelphia Show

A Tour in Freefall

Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour has been thrown into unprecedented turmoil. Hours after the singer issued a statement insisting that Macklemore's removal from the tour was the promoter's decision and not his own, the rest of his supporting lineup walked out. Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Danish pop band Lukas Graham and songwriter Finneas — brother of Billie Eilish — all announced they were pulling out of their remaining dates in protest. Sheeran's backing band, the Irish folk group Beoga, followed suit.

The result is a stadium tour suddenly stripped to a single man on stage. Sheeran is scheduled to perform Saturday night at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, the first Loop Tour show since Macklemore's departure, and music industry sources cited by TMZ indicate he is prepared to go on solo, without his backing band. The concert's start time was pushed back from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET, according to Ticketmaster, after the openers dropped out.

Why Finneas, Rowe and Beoga Walked Away

The departing artists were explicit about their reasons. Finneas wrote on Instagram: "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people." He had been scheduled to support Sheeran on stops in Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Rowe, who had been due to open the remaining 11 North American dates alongside Lukas Graham, framed his decision through Irish history. "I don't take the decision lightly. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this," he wrote. "But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children."

Beoga, who are founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, put it simply: "We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be."

How the Crisis Began

The rupture traces back to earlier this month, when Macklemore performed as Sheeran's opening act at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. On stage, he addressed the crowd directly: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free Palestine.'" He also performed his protest song "Hind's Hall," written after the 2024 campus protests in support of Palestine and named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. He added: "To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you."

The remarks drew criticism from pop singer Pink and pro-Israel groups, including the Israeli-American Council, which launched a petition to have Macklemore dropped from the tour. Robert Kraft — the NFL owner who was reportedly behind the push — said publicly that Macklemore had crossed the line, while other NFL owners reportedly backed the decision behind the scenes. Macklemore then posted an Instagram statement claiming that Ed Sheeran told him during a phone call that Kraft wanted him fired from the tour.

The controversy has since spilled into the broader media sphere. On TMZ's "Two Angry Men," attorney Mark Geragos and Harvey Levin squared off over who was the villain of the saga — Levin defending Kraft's right to disinvite Macklemore from his house, Geragos arguing that Kraft was the scoundrel for colluding with other billionaire owners. Macklemore, Sheeran, Kraft and the fallout have dominated social media and podcast discourse ever since.

What Saturday Looks Like

Saturday's show in Philadelphia will be unlike any Sheeran stadium concert in memory. A coalition of pro-Palestinian groups plans to rally outside Lincoln Financial Field at 4:30 p.m., with speakers from Writers Against the War on Gaza, the Boycott Cooknsolo Coalition and Shut Down Day & Zimmermann. Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Tanya Little said the department "is working closely with venue and event organizers to help ensure the safety of concert attendees, employees, and neighborhood residents."

Commercially, the tour is already feeling the strain. TickPick data cited by Forbes showed the cheapest ticket at $51 on Friday morning, down from $100 on Tuesday. By Friday afternoon, StubHub listings had dropped as low as $42. None of the U.S. shows are sold out, and it remains unclear whether ticket holders can exchange or refund their purchases following the lineup changes. Ticketmaster's policy states that opening acts are "subject to change or cancellation at any time without notice" and that no refunds will be given for such changes, while Sheeran's own website notes that all sales are final. However, the Philadelphia news site Billy Penn reported that some ticket holders said Lincoln Financial Field has begun issuing refunds due to the lineup change.

A Career at an Unfamiliar Crossroads

For an artist of Sheeran's stature, this is uncharted territory. Since breaking through with "The A Team" and his debut album + in 2011, he has built one of the most dominant commercial careers in modern pop: the Grammy-winning "Thinking Out Loud," the record-breaking ÷ ("Divide") era with "Shape of You" and "Castle on the Hill," and a run of UK number ones spanning "I Don't Care," "Bad Habits," "Shivers," "Merry Christmas" and "Eyes Closed." His ÷ Tour became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time in August 2019, and he has sold 200 million records worldwide.

Over his career, Sheeran has been defined by collaboration and by keeping his public persona scrupulously non-confrontational. That reputation is now under pressure. He has not commented publicly since Tuesday, leaving his own statement — that the removal was the promoter's call — as his only framing of events. Whether a solo stadium show, a stripped-back set with no band and no openers, can quiet the noise around the Loop Tour is the question awaiting an answer in Philadelphia.

The Remaining Loop Tour Dates

• Sept. 19: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
• Sept. 25–26: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
• Oct. 3: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
• Oct. 10: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
• Oct. 17: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
• Oct. 24: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
• Oct. 29–30: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Fla.
• Nov. 7: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
• Nov. 21–22: Estadio Bicentenario De La Florida, Santiago, Chile
• Nov. 26: Nueva Olla Stadium, Asunción, Paraguay
• Nov. 29: Tomás Adolfo Ducó Stadium (Huracán Stadium), Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Dec. 5–6: Nubank Parque, São Paulo
• Dec. 11: Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City

With no openers and no band, the loop pedal — the very tool that gave the tour its name and once powered Sheeran's rise from small venues to stadiums — may be the only thing left holding the show together.