FINNEAS withdrew from the upcoming tour dates planned with Ed Sheeran after declaring his support for the Palestinian people. The artist, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, said people who speak out on behalf of the oppressed should not be silenced and announced that he had decided to leave the tour schedule because of this stance.
Macklemore’s removal from the tour preceded the decision. At his concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4, 2026, Macklemore called for a “Free Palestine” and said Palestinians living in Gaza and the occupied West Bank should not be forgotten.
Following the statement, Messina Touring Group announced that it had removed Macklemore from the remaining eight support-artist dates on Ed Sheeran’s tour. Macklemore argued that he had been removed from the schedule because of his support for Palestine and his remarks onstage, while Ed Sheeran said the decision was not his and had been made by the organizer.
The departures from the tour lineup did not end there. Along with FINNEAS, Aaron Rowe and Beoga were also announced to have withdrawn from their tour commitments. Some accounts also reported that Lukas Graham had left, but information about all of the artists who withdrew from the tour was not confirmed within the same framework.
Statements on Palestine and artists’ freedom of expression
The development has revived debate over how artists’ statements on political and humanitarian issues intersect with tour contracts, concert venues and organizers’ decisions. The departure of multiple artists after Macklemore’s removal showed that the issue extended beyond a dispute between two artists.
Ed Sheeran’s emphasis that the decision belonged to the organizer was significant in distinguishing the responsibilities of artists, tour organizers and concert venue operators. FINNEAS’s statement also continued the debate over how artists’ support for Palestine relates to their place on tour schedules.
