The politics of U.S-Israel relations hit the concert stage this week as pop singer Ed Sheeran got caught in the crossfire between his opening acts and his concert promoters.
All the opening acts lined up for Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” in some of the nation’s largest arenas appear to have cancelled in protest after Macklemore said he was dropped from Sheeran’s tour for making pro-Palestinian statements on stage.
Macklemore played his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which accuses Israel of “genocide” in its nearly three-year war in Gaza. The song’s video shows scenes of destruction in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces.
Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival, March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)
Video from a recent New Jersey concert shows Macklemore saying on stage: “One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”
He repeated the phrase and then said, “I want those words to be loud and clear.”
There’s a long history of American musicians and actors taking political stands on stage, but this time the pro-Israel lobby controls who gets the microphone.
On Monday, Macklemore blamed billionaire Robert Kraft for giving him the boot from a planned eight-concert run. Macklemore said Kraft rallied other venue owners and threatened to block Sheeran’s shows if Macklemore remained on the tour.
Kraft owns the New England Patriots and — more important to this issue — Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., where Sheeran is scheduled to play Sept. 25 and 26.
Sheeran, who played at Kraft’s wedding in 2022, named Kraft as a specific cause of Macklemore’s ouster from the tour. In an Instagram post, Sheeran wrote that he had been “involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
He identified Kraft by name as one of those opposed to Macklemore and said: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
Robert Kraft, ownr of the New England Patriots, walks the field prior to the game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Lumen Field Sept. 9 in Seattle. (Photo by Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
The promoter for the tour is Messina Touring Group, led by Louis Messina, one of the top names in the business and someone who avoids political identification.
On Monday, Macklemore said he and Sheeran are friends but “our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.” He charged that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with.”
While the wealthy venue owners apparently forced Macklemore off the tour, that decision fired up other opening acts who have said they will drop out in protest. Those include Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Beoga, and Lukas Graham.
Graham said on social media: “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
Kraft is a registered Democrat who is friends with Donald Trump. He and his foundation are major donors to Jewish and Israeli causes, and according to some reports Kraft’s private jets have been used by the Trump administration to deport immigrants from the United States without due process. Kraft also reportedly had a relationship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In April 2024, during Gaza solidarity protests at Columbia University, Kraft stopped funding the university “over the treatment of Jewish students and faculty during pro-Palestinian protests at the campus,” citing “virulent hate.”
Sheeran’s Tuesday Instagram post said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”
However, he added: “There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics — my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.”
This on-stage drama has played out as the Trump administration is planning to deliver 40,000 more 2,000-lb. bombs to Israel that could create even more mass casualties in Gaza.
The National reported today: “Israel has experienced a steady erosion in support from the American public. As of September, only 29% of (survey) respondents felt favorable toward (Israel), while 59% viewed it unfavorably. This is a sharp drop since March 2025, when 43% viewed Israel favorably. A majority in September also said the U.S. was giving too much aid to Israel.”
Related:
PCUSA declares Israel’s actions in Palestine genocide
‘Pro-family’ groups say Israel is wrongly blamed for genocide in Gaza
UN says Israel has committed war crimes and genocide in Gaza