Ed Sheeran has announced a new set of support acts for his Loop tour after Macklemore was dropped from the bill over a speech calling for a «free Palestine». Isaac Slade, former lead singer of The Fray, and American Idol contestant Brooks Rosser will open for Sheeran on several US dates.
Slade confirmed on Instagram that he will perform at Sheeran's shows in Indianapolis on October 10, Charlotte on October 17, Arlington on October 24 and Tampa on November 7. He previously appeared at Sheeran's Atlanta concert on October 3. Rosser will also support Sheeran at the Indianapolis show at Lucas Oil Stadium. «My first show since American Idol, and it's at Lucas Oil Stadium opening for @teddysphotos. I'm beyond excited and grateful. See you Saturday!» Rosser wrote on Instagram.
The changes follow Macklemore's removal from the tour after he made comments on stage calling for a «free Palestine». Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots, said he found Macklemore's speech «deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community». After further disapproval from figures including Pink and the Israeli American Council, the rapper was removed from the tour.
Since then, numerous artists have shown support for Macklemore, including Greta Thunberg, Massive Attack, Roger Waters, Dropkick Murphys, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Billy Bragg and Hayley Williams. Sheeran's band and other tour support acts pulled out in solidarity with the rapper.
Sheeran addressed the situation around the time the controversy began, saying he was «not complicit» and «appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine», describing the «suffering and pain caused on both sides» as a «tragedy». He later returned to the stage in Philadelphia and apologised for «making mistakes».
Macklemore has since donated his entire $1 million earnings from the tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians and announced a «Free Palestine Tour», which has already sold out. Other artists have weighed in, including Tom Morello, who told NME he admired Macklemore for refusing to retreat from his stance and added that «courage is contagious». CMAT said some of the backlash towards Sheeran is «unfair» but suggested the pop star could have handled the situation differently. Bob Geldof defended Sheeran while saying he «really admire[d] Macklemore» and those who walked away from the tour.
Sheeran's former support act Aaron Rowe said anger over the situation should instead be aimed at «the likes of Robert Kraft». Zach Bryan wore a «Free Palestine» T-shirt during a show at Gillette Stadium, and Lorde also called out Kraft by posting a photo of herself wearing a jacket with a «Free Palestine» slogan while attempting to tag him. Bono recently shared that Sheeran didn't want to «get into politics» when he collaborated with U2 on their 2026 single «Yours Eternally».
Sheeran still has a number of remaining tour dates in Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico with no support acts yet announced.