FINNEAS Withdraws From Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour After Macklemore Was Removed

FINNEAS has withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. He is one of four acts to step away since Macklemore was removed from the tour over remarks he made onstage about Palestine.

Announcing the decision on Instagram, FINNEAS wrote that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” and said he stands with Palestine and its people.

What happened with Macklemore

Macklemore joined the tour earlier this month and played two nights at MetLife Stadium outside New York on September 4 and 5. At the first show he said “Free Palestine” onstage and voiced solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Messina Touring Group, the tour’s promoter, said multiple venues would not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, and that cancelling those dates would affect hundreds of thousands of fans.

Sheeran says the decision was not his

Sheeran addressed the removal on Tuesday, saying it was not his call. He said he had been told the venues’ position related to how Macklemore delivered part of his message rather than the whole of what he said.

He added that he respected Macklemore’s “strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.”

Who else has stepped away

Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Sheeran’s longtime house band Beoga, and Danish group Lukas Graham have also exited the tour. FINNEAS had been scheduled to open South American dates later this year.

Reporting via NBC News and Rolling Stone.