Aaron Rowe, an opening act who recently withdrew from Ed Sheeran’s tour following the dismissal of Macklemore over his pro-Palestine stance, has issued a strong defense of the headliner. In a video posted to Instagram on Friday, Rowe argued that public criticism should be directed elsewhere.
“I think you are all focusing on the wrong person here,” Rowe said. “When you really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft. You really should be focusing on the Zionist lobbies that are trying to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide… right now in Palestine.”
Rowe acknowledged that Sheeran’s public statement could have been stronger and agreed with the decision to remove Macklemore, attributing the move to panic rather than malice. “I fully believe it was panic station over there, and they rushed the decision because they didn’t know what to fucking do because they were getting it from all angles. That’s a mistake,” he stated. He added that while he has not had extensive recent contact with Sheeran, he believes the singer recognizes the error.
The Irish singer-songwriter pointed out that the majority of the opening acts support Palestine, questioning why Sheeran would include such artists if he held opposing views. “Look who’s on the fucking lineup… Beoga, the most pro-Palestine group out there… fully pro-Palestine, fucking Macklemore,” Rowe said. “If Ed Sheeran was a fucking Zionist, why would he have all these fucking people on the fucking tour? It was human fucking error.”
Rowe’s comments follow growing backlash against Sheeran for the removal of Macklemore. Fellow opener Finneas also departed the tour. When Rowe announced his own exit, he emphasized that Sheeran had “changed my life,” a sentiment he reiterated in the new video.
“I know Ed Sheeran has done so much for so many fucking people, including artists like me, who he’s literally changed their entire lives. All he has inside of him is kindness,” Rowe said. “And yes, like every other human being, he makes fucking mistakes.”
Concluding his message, Rowe urged critics to redirect their energy toward figures he views as suppressing free speech. “You should be using this opportunity to plaster Robert Kraft’s face everywhere. Someone who tried to shut down free speech. Someone who tried to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide. That’s what you should be using your energy on, not fucking Ed Sheeran.”
Hard to ignore the fact that Finneas also quit. Seems like more than just panic from the team.
Rowe has a point about the lineup. Why hire pro-Palestine acts if the headliner is against them?
Blaming the openers for a mistake seems like a stretch. Macklemore left for his own reasons.