Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour is in the middle of a messy music row — and it didn’t start with the setlist.
After Macklemore used his opening slots to speak about Palestine on stage, he was dropped from remaining US dates. Venues pushed back. The promoter made the call. Other support acts walked. Sheeran said he had tried to find a way through, but that taking Macklemore off the tour was the promoter’s decision, not his — and that he doesn’t want the nights turned into a political forum.
Agree or not, it lands a question Belfast crowds know well: when you pay for a night out, what are you actually buying?
The songs. The lights. The singalong. Or the chance an artist uses the mic for something heavier?
Where do you land?
No pile-ons. No score-settling. Just a straight poll — tap one, and tell us in the comments if you want.
When you’re at a gig, where do you land?
- Just the music — leave politics off stage
- Fine if it’s quick, then back to the songs
- Artists should speak up if they mean it
- I’ll get the news elsewhere — keep the gig for the set
- Depends on the artist / the night
Why this hit a nerve
Big tours run on fragile maths: stadiums, sponsors, promoters, ticket-holders. One speech can ripple through all of them. Fans who want a night off the news feel ambushed. Fans who want artists to mean something feel shut out. Both can be in the same crowd, same night, same chorus.
Belfast isn’t short of strong opinions — or big gigs. So we’re asking you, not the timeline.
Vote above. Drop a 1–5 in the comments if the embed’s being slow. We’ll share where the city landed.
Update: Sheeran has now addressed the row on stage in Philadelphia — read his speech and the Macklemore fallout.
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