Lukas Graham has withdrawn as an opening act on Ed Sheeran’s US tour, after rapper Macklemore was removed from the same lineup following pro-Palestinian statements onstage.
According to DR, the Danish band is one of several support acts to leave the tour. The withdrawals began after Macklemore was taken off the bill. Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that the removal was not his decision.
Music journalist Nanna Frank told DR that the departure is striking, given the size of the tour. She described Sheeran as one of the biggest artists working today, with a very large audience. Opening for him would have been a chance for the band to rebuild momentum in the United States after the success of “7 Years”.
Frank noted that supporting Sheeran means playing some of the largest stadiums in the country. She also said that opening acts on tours of that scale have previously gone on to become major names themselves. She does not expect the case to have significant consequences for Lukas Graham.
The band’s singer, Lukas Forchhammer, explained the decision in a post on Facebook. He wrote that people should be able to talk about war, about civilians being killed, and about children who deserve to grow up, regardless of where they live. He also pointed to his upbringing on Christiania in Copenhagen, where speaking your mind was part of daily life.
Macklemore performed Israel-critical song in New Jersey
At a support slot in New Jersey on September 4, Macklemore called out “Free Palestine” from the stage. He then performed his song “Hind’s Hall”, which condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza. The campaign group StopAntisemitism criticized the American rapper afterward.
The group said Jewish fans had bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing, not to be confronted with what it called anti-Israeli propaganda. The following night, on the same stage, Macklemore said his criticism was not aimed at Jewish people. He said it was directed at Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The criticism continued in the days that followed. Macklemore has said he was removed from the tour after difficult conversations with Sheeran. Other opening acts then began withdrawing, with Lukas Graham among them.
Frank told DR that the band has never been apolitical, and that the decision fits the image already attached to Forchhammer as an activist figure. In her assessment, it would have been more surprising had the band stayed on the tour. The band remains one of the best known names in the Danish music scene.
Frank said the episode may have more effect on Sheeran, who has tried to remain apolitical throughout his career. She added that making a choice of this kind is itself political.
