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Macklemore Booted From Tour Over Pro-Palestine Remarks, Ed Sheeran Taps Two Newcomers to Open

Rapper Macklemore was dropped from the tour after shouting "Free Palestine" onstage. Ed Sheeran has brought in former The Fray frontman Isaac Slade and American Idol alum Brooks Rosser to fill the opening slot, with openers for the South America dates still to be announced.

Casey Tsai, Entertainment Editor
Macklemore Booted From Tour Over Pro-Palestine Remarks, Ed Sheeran Taps Two Newcomers to Open

Two not-quite-household names have been added to the opener lineup for Ed Sheeran's show tomorrow (October 10) at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis: former The Fray frontman Isaac Slade, and Brooks Rosser, a newcomer fresh off American Idol. Rosser wrote on Instagram: "This is my first show since American Idol, and I get to open for @teddysphotos at Lucas Oil Stadium — I'm so excited and grateful." Slade confirmed he'll continue through the Charlotte show on October 17, Arlington on October 24, and Tampa on November 7, having already taken the stage at the Atlanta show on October 3.

This opener lineup is drawing attention because the slot originally belonged to Macklemore. After he made "Free Palestine" remarks onstage during the tour, he was singled out and criticized by Robert Kraft — owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots — who called the comments "deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community." Pop star Pink and the Israeli American Council also spoke out against him, and Macklemore was ultimately dropped from the tour.

The List of Macklemore Supporters Keeps Growing

After news of his removal broke, the backlash wasn't confined to Kraft's side. Greta Thunberg, Massive Attack, Roger Waters, Dropkick Murphys, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Billy Bragg, and Hayley Williams all publicly voiced support for Macklemore, and some of Sheeran's own band members along with several other opening acts chose to exit the tour in solidarity. Macklemore later donated the full $1 million he earned from the tour to six organizations supporting Palestinian aid, and announced a separate "Free Palestine Tour," which has reportedly sold out entirely.

Sheeran himself addressed the controversy as it unfolded, insisting he was "not complicit" and saying he was "shocked" by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling the suffering on both sides "a tragedy." He later took the stage in Philadelphia and publicly apologized for "mistakes made."

The incident also sparked a wave of reactions from musicians: Tom Morello told NME he admired Macklemore's refusal to back down, saying "courage is contagious"; CMAT felt some of the criticism directed at Sheeran was "unfair," though he could have handled the situation better; Bob Geldof backed Sheeran while also admitting he was "very impressed" by both Macklemore and those who chose to leave the tour. Former opener Aaron Rowe said bluntly that the public's anger should be directed at "people like Robert Kraft"; Zach Bryan wore a "Free Palestine" T-shirt during his performance at Gillette Stadium, seen as a silent protest against Kraft; Lorde also posted a photo of herself in a jacket bearing the same slogan and attempted to tag Kraft in the post.

South America Dates Still Without an Opener

Sheeran still has multiple shows ahead in Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, and the opening acts for those dates have yet to be announced. Bono recently mentioned that while working with U2 on their 2026 single "Yours Eternally," Sheeran made clear he didn't want to "get involved in politics" — a remark that reads particularly ironic given the current controversy.

Tags#Ed Sheeran#Macklemore#Isaac Slade#Robert Kraft#Loop Tour

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