Ed Sheeran has received unexpected support from one of the artists who withdrew from his LOOP Tour amid the fallout surrounding Macklemore’s onstage “Free Palestine” remarks.
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe defended Sheeran in an emotional Instagram video shared Friday, arguing that public criticism has been aimed at the wrong person.
Rowe’s intervention surprised fans because he was among the opening performers who left the tour in support of Macklemore after the rapper was removed from the lineup.
Macklemore, 43, was dropped from the remaining dates after speaking in support of Palestinians and leading a “Free Palestine” chant during his opening performance at MetLife Stadium earlier this month.
Rowe said the backlash should not be directed at Sheeran, 35, who has faced embarrassing headlines over ticket sales. Instead, he pointed to New England Patriots owner and stadium executive Robert Kraft as the figure he believes deserves scrutiny.
“Don’t direct your anger at Ed Sheeran,” Rowe said, insisting that critics should focus their outrage elsewhere.
Ed Sheeran has received backing from Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, even though Rowe was among the opening acts who exited the LOOP Tour after the controversy over Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech. Above, Rowe performs at Ireland’s All Together Now Festival in 2025
Rowe argued that Sheeran, 35, should not be the target of public hostility and identified New England Patriots owner and stadium mogul Robert Kraft as the person critics should question. Above, Sheeran attends a benefit gala in New York City in 2024
“I’m going to be honest: I think everyone is concentrating on the wrong person,” Rowe said. “All I hear is Ed Sheeran this and Ed Sheeran that, when the focus should be on people like Robert Kraft and on the Zionist lobbies that are trying to silence those speaking about what they describe as genocide in Palestine.”
Sheeran addressed the dispute in a letter posted Tuesday. He said Macklemore’s removal was not his decision, explaining that it came from the promoter and followed pressure from Kraft, 85, who barred Macklemore from appearing at Gillette Stadium.
Although Rowe defended Sheeran, he acknowledged that the singer’s public response “could have been a lot better.”
Rowe said he had not spoken extensively with Sheeran but believed the pop star understood that his statement had been a mistake. He also maintained that the artists involved in the tour shared support for Palestinians.
“If Ed Sheeran were a Zionist, why would he have all of these people on his tour?” Rowe asked.
The singer also criticized Ireland, governments around the world, the media and the wider music business, accusing them of failing to respond forcefully enough to the conflict.
Rowe argued that powerful institutions possess enough wealth and influence to suppress viewpoints that challenge their position.
He urged those institutions to draw attention to Kraft, whom he accused of attempting to restrict free speech and silence people speaking about the situation in Palestine.
“I haven’t had much of a chance to speak with Ed, but I truly believe he knows that was a mistake,” Rowe said. Above, Sheeran and Macklemore perform at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas
The dispute began after Macklemore used his opening set to chant “Free Palestine” and deliver a political speech, leading to his removal from the rest of Sheeran’s LOOP Tour. Above, Macklemore performs at the Goldencoast Rap Festival in France on August 30
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Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, has continued to stand by his pro-Palestinian comments. Above, the rapper visits SiriusXM Studios in New York City in 2023
“That is where you should be putting your energy,” Rowe concluded, arguing that the focus should not be on Sheeran.
Sheeran’s concert this Saturday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field is his first gig since Macklemore was officially booted from the tour on Monday.
The controversy has taken a heavy toll on ticket sales.
Hours before showtime, hundreds of tickets are still available for purchase at significantly reduced prices.
In another humiliating blow, Sheeran changed the start time of his Saturday concert with the assumption being he couldn’t find anyone else to open for him.
The concert was originally set to start at 5:30pm with opening acts and Sheeran going on at 8pm.
Now the concert start time has been moved back to 8pm, when Sheeran will take the stage.
The drama started when Macklemore used his opening set to chant ‘Free Palestine’ and deliver a politically motivated speech.
The escalating controversy has taken a heavy toll on ticket sales ahead of Sheeran’s Philadelphia concert on Saturday night. Above, Sheeran in 2025 during the iHeartRadio z100’s Jingle Ball
He was the opening act for Sheeran’s LOOP Tour on two consecutive nights, September 4 and September 5, at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
Macklemore – real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty – stated that every human being deserves the same freedom, and told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
He then performed his protest song Hind’s Hall while images of the devastation in Gaza were projected on the big screens at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore also faced a boycott petition calling for his removal from Sheeran’s tour for the blunt and direct language he used onstage.
As seen in fan-taken footage, he wore a keffiyeh at one point during his set.
The Israeli-American Council drew up a petition insisting he should be dropped from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s tour.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Macklemore and Sheeran for comment but has yet to hear back.