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Sheeran Removes Macklemore After Venue Owners Object

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 10:45 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Sheeran Bars Macklemore

Ed Sheeran removed rapper Macklemore from his Loop Tour after venue owners objected.
Billionaire Robert Kraft pressured Sheeran and other venues to bar Macklemore and pledged $4 million aid.
Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Pro-Palestinian groups will protest outside Lincoln Financial Field before Sheeran’s September 19 Philadelphia show.
Macklemore pledged $1 million to Palestinian charities and asked Kraft to match the donation.

Summary

Philadelphia Police Deploy

Philadelphia police will deploy a small army of cops inside and outside Lincoln Financial Field Saturday.
Concertgoers must pass metal detectors and may undergo pat-downs, according to law-enforcement sources.
Lincoln Financial Field began issuing refunds after the opening-act lineup was altered.
CAIR filed a right-to-know request demanding disclosure of who ordered Macklemore’s removal.
Panthers and Falcons owners said they would not host the concert if Macklemore stayed on the bill.

History

Historical Context

In March 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines told a London crowd they were ashamed President George W. Bush was from Texas, igniting a backlash that saw Cumulus Media’s 42 country stations and thousands of others blacklist the group and receive death threats. The Ed Sheeran tour’s recent ban of Macklemore mirrors that legacy, showing political remarks can still prompt venue cancellations and industry push-back.

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Sheeran Bars Macklemore

Ed Sheeran removed rapper Macklemore from his Loop Tour after venue owners objected.
Billionaire Robert Kraft pressured Sheeran and other venues to bar Macklemore and pledged $4 million aid.
Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Pro-Palestinian groups will protest outside Lincoln Financial Field before Sheeran’s September 19 Philadelphia show.
Macklemore pledged $1 million to Palestinian charities and asked Kraft to match the donation.

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