Church Accuses Sheeran Over Macklemore's Removal From US Tour
Charlotte Church accused Ed Sheeran of choosing "consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing" after Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's US tour.
Church spoke at a gig in Cardiff on Sunday. She urged the crowd to chant "free Palestine" and repeated "Ed Sheeran, we're watching you" several times with her bandmates. She said Sheeran had made millions and had a large following and platform to do real good. The Guardian
Macklemore was removed after "free Palestine" statements on stage. The decision followed backlash, including pressure from stadium owners hosting shows. Sheeran's other support acts then quit in solidarity. Support acts are the artists who open for the headliner. The run is the Loop tour, Sheeran's US stadium tour. Macklemore made his remarks at MetLife Stadium, where he also called the war in Gaza 'genocide'. The Guardian
Sheeran addressed the dispute in Philadelphia on Saturday. He called events in Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable." He apologised to fans, saying he had "had to take and make difficult decisions" and was "making mistakes." He said he wanted his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics.
Macklemore has claimed Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group which owns Gillette Stadium, personally called Sheeran to say he could not perform at the venue. Sheeran called the removal "the promoter's decision" and said he would not join a public debate about the war in Gaza. The promoter is the business that handles tour contracts. He said he had doubted "whether this tour would be carrying on" and "whether I even wanted to be an artist at all." He is next due on 25 September at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
Church has joined pro-Palestinian demonstrations and opposed the UK government's proscription of Palestine Action, a formal legal ban. Several venues allegedly barred Macklemore after his remarks.
The broader context here is leverage on a modern stadium tour. The headliner holds the public profile, but stadium owners control access and promoters control support-slot contracts. When those interests split over political speech, the support act is most exposed. Church framed that as a moral choice by Sheeran. Sheeran framed it as a constraint on him.
Looking at what this means for touring artists, two ideas of responsibility compete. One says a large platform requires accepting commercial risk. The other says keeping a tour running for crew, fans and venues requires limiting political conflict. The facts so far settle neither claim. The practical test is Gillette Stadium, which will show whether the tour proceeds intact and whether crowds treat the shows as concerts or verdicts on Gaza.
