00:00Ed Sheeran's massive U.S. stadium tour is completely falling apart after every single
00:04one of his support acts and his tour band pulled out in a single night. Here's how we got here.
00:09It started at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Macklemore took to the stage, called for a free
00:14Palestine, and played his pro-Palestinian track, Heinz Ball, while displaying footage of the
00:18devastation in Gaza. There was immediate backlash. The Israeli-American Council launched a petition
00:23demanding Macklemore's removal, and in a post on Instagram, campaign group Stop Anti-Semitism
00:28said he was ambushing fans with anti-Israel propaganda, which was reposted by Popstar
00:32Pink. Quickly, venue owners took notice. Fast forward to Monday, Macklemore announced he'd
00:37officially been dropped from the tour by Ed Sheeran and his team, claiming Ed's typical
00:41apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before, and that the push came
00:46for billionaire Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft. Ed Sheeran then broke his silence, stressing the
00:51drop was the promoter's decision, not his. He defended keeping his platform non-political,
00:55writing, there is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics. Those who
01:00come to my shows do not expect a political forum. That response quickly backfired. Within hours,
01:05Billie Eilish's brother Phineas, Lucas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Irish band Bioga all pulled out
01:11in solidarity with Macklemore, saying venue owners and money shouldn't silence artists speaking up
01:16for civilians. Now, Ed Sheeran is set to perform in Philadelphia this Saturday with an empty opener
01:21slot, no band and at all in total crisis.
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