Aaron Rowe defends Ed Sheeran in dispute over tour — Rolling Stone
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe defended Ed Sheeran after he stopped performing as an opening act on Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Rowe said attention should be focused not on Sheeran, but on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and lobbying groups that, he said, are trying to suppress statements supporting Palestinians.
Rowe said this in an edited video published on Instagram, Rolling Stone reports. He left the tour after rapper Macklemore was removed from its lineup over onstage statements supporting Palestinians and criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Rowe’s position on Sheeran
Rowe acknowledged that Sheeran’s statement after the controversy could have been much better. At the same time, he said he does not believe the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour was right, linking its adoption to panic and haste.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
According to Rowe, he did not have an opportunity to speak with Sheeran in detail, but is convinced that Sheeran understands the decision was wrong. The singer also said that all performers involved in the tour supported Palestinians living in Gaza. Rowe criticized Ireland, other governments, the media and the music industry for what he claims is inaction regarding the situation.
Donations for humanitarian aid
After being removed from the tour, Macklemore promised to donate $1 million to Palestinian support groups and called on Kraft to make a similar donation. In response, Kraft said he was committed to allocating $2 million in aid in the region to address the humanitarian crisis. He called it the equivalent of Sheeran’s donation.
Earlier, Sheeran said that he did not make the decision regarding Macklemore; it was made by promoter Messina Touring Group, which, he said, came under pressure from concert venues organized by Kraft. A representative for Sheeran did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on Kraft’s statement.
