On Tuesday, Sheeran reiterated that the decision to drop Macklemore was not his, but that of promoter Messina Touring Group following pressure from the venues. “I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran wrote. “I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
Oh boohoo Ed, when stadium owners tell you “you can’t play here if he plays” about someone who did nothing wrong, then you make that demand public and tell the stadium owners and the public that that means the contract you had with them can not be executed as expected and that it means you can’t play their stadium. That’s a good move, ethically and in terms of publicity, because that holds the rich assholes responsible. Now all that shit will (rightfully) stick to your shoe, so don’t act surprised if people say you stink.
I hate bad people but I really want their money!
Damn, you know shit’s gotten bad when Finneas and Ferb get involved.
Just Finneas, Ferbs on vacation
It’s too bad, Ed Queeran would be a great drag name.
Finneas the goat
In support of Palestine*
Important distinction, and in this case it’s both. Headline could have been better about that.
I never had a particular fondness of Ed Sheeran but this entire drama made him 1000% more dislikeable. The claim that you’d specifically not use your platform to speak out on social injustices because you want “peace” and want to provide a safe space for your audience just means that you want to bury your head in the sand for money. What a load of crap
If he wanted to be neutral he could have said “I don’t want to publically take a side on the conflict, but I will stand by free speech and mackelmore. If he can’t play then I won’t play”
Better though if he just grew a pair…
Also. Free Palestine.
Art has a point of view. It’s not escapism it’s expression. If your music has no message you’re making elevator music not art.
This. For all the people complaining about music festivals and music in general being “political”
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Thank you for your thoughtful reply
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And he has spoken out in support of Ukraine as the invasion continues, so his claims are total nonsense. He’s making an exception in favour of Israel.
Edit: he also played a fundraiser concert for Ukraine.
I don’t know why he thought the whole “both sides” thing would absolve him in his press release.
I learned today that nazis think there are two sides to the holocaust
i’ve been struggling to wrap my brain around that concept, but i grew up where the idea of playing Cowboys and Indians (as a form of tag, when you’re a kid) was in the public consciousness somewhere. I can’t ever remember actually playing and calling it that. Maybe i saw it on the television or read about it? just you know a casual kids game commemorating the colonization and genocide of its land’s original people. it gets worse the more i think about it.
Damn I thought about that a couple months back and yeah, I remember playing it as a kid. I think it quickly got changed to cops and robbers, so maybe I was at the tail-end of that version; sure was a fucked-up thing to call a kids game.
We played cops and robbers instead, but I don’t necessarily think that’s any better.
No doubt the current MAGAT’s are introducing it to their kids as “ICE and Immigrants”
I didn’t even know that. Pathetic
I kinda get what he wants - but situations outside his control have forced him to pick sides and he chose wrong. Doesn’t seem to get that there’s no fence to sit on here.
Should’ve moved venues even if means cutting back attendance, showed support for your friend, and turned the narrative into “The billionaires cut OUR show because THEY’RE bigots”
Incredible levels of self-own that have left him standing alone.
I had no opinion of him before but now have a very negative one.
In complicated matters, the simplest explenation is almost always the correct one: he supports the genocide but he’s too cowardly to own up to it.
His statement basically said he’s against it but is too much of a bitch to vocalize that because he’ll get canceled too, something about “not disappointing the fans” by either pulling out or getting pulled by the promoter.
It’s a bullshit excuse no matter how you cut it. The truth of the matter is that he was not willing to be inconvenienced by having to cancel his tour in solidarity with people he supposedly agrees with. And if you frame your cancellation as “We cannot proceed with the tour because these venues won’t allow us to play because of our support of Palestine.” Who are the fans truly going to be mad at? The artists and the bands? Or the corporate-owned venues that are sycophantly siding with genocidal Israel and attempting to stifle free speech?
We cannot proceed with the tour because these venues won’t allow us to play because of our support of Palestine
and then you find smaller venues that are delighted to host however many of your fans show up because you’re able to continue the tour with the band that was getting cut.
it’s hard work, and it’s expensive, but it’s better than, well, what we got.
He supports whatever the billionaires he suckles from do.
I think its the other way around, really, from what he said. Either way, its bad and he’s paying for it
It’s amazing to me that we are in an era where neutrality is not only not an option, it’s worse than picking a side because then everyone on all sides sneers at you for being at best an idiot and at worst a coward.
Won’t sooooomeboiooody think of the NEUTRALS!!!
What’s not that amazing is that we’re in an era we’re being compliant, uninformed, ignorant and nonpolitical are treated as virtues. Because it’s been predicted and it’s planned, it’s not an accident.
“Won’t somebody think of the neutrals” eh? Is that what I said?
Being neutral about something that is happening doesn’t stop it from happening. If you’re not stopping a genocide, you are a bad person. It’s pretty simple.
Being for, against or neutral about something that is happening doesn’t stop it from happening.
FTFY
Having an opinion that aligns with your beliefs is great. Israel should be ashamed of what they have done, and their leaders should be tried at the Hague for crimes against humanity.
That happens to be my opinion. If someone rolled up and we started talking about it and they said they didn’t really know much about it, in the past that would be a surprise perhaps, and maybe a conversation would start. Now if someone said that there would be fuckwits calling them monsters while they pick Cheetos out if their unwashed navels and congratulate themselves for helping to stop a genocide.
Or to rephrase an old classic: opinions are like assholes, people love to spread them online and act like it means something.
There are opinions, and there are verified, objective facts. You’re using the same logic that climate deniers use. Ohhhhh there’s just no way to know, I’m not convinced, climate goes in cycles.
No, you don’t get to say that, it’s not an opinion. It’s just a denial of objective and rigorously proved and peer reviewed facts.
Shame on you for denying the objectively proven and defined genocide. There is no debate. Only facts and perpetrators.
Ah, so by saying that Israel is wrong and their leadership should be tried for crimes against humanity, I am denying a genocide?
Your entire comment is simply incorrect, pulled out of thin air, and yet you put it out there with confidence, as though you were propagating some eternal, objective truth.
I’ll put it plainly: your reliance on the false truth that your opinion in and of itself makes a difference, and the aggression with which you push that lie makes me think that you’re acting at cross purposes to what you claim to be.
If you were more than just a collection of letters on a screen you would have no problem discussing that what we are doing here, chatting on a platform in the far corners of the Internet, amounts to Jack shit in real terms. Trying to convince people otherwise would serve only to push them away from action, and closer to a certainty that at least they were good people. The shame, I am afraid, is on you.
already too many words spent on this insignificant event…
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Oh shit. I was wondering if he’d play his next date. I guess not. Unless he can find a new band in three days, LOL.
Good on them.
No issue hiring a new band in that timescale.
No issue hiring some random musicians. But the previous band had been practicing, right? Are the random last minute session musicians going to be as good with only a couple day’s warning?
I know it’s Ed Sheeran’s music, not exactly complex classical music, but still. Musicians aren’t interchangeable parts lmao
i mean we kind of are
Yeah professional musicians would be good to go. It’s what they do.
The issue is probably finding one that wants to do it and get marked as pro-genocide.
This is awesome to see.
Karmic orgasm
For some reason it puts the Terminator song in my head. The victory version that rolls at the end credits.
Must be the humans having a small victory over ‘the machine’.
We could show support for Maclemore’s stand by streaming Macklemore on your preferred streaming platform all day. If we all do that at least he will get some income and the numbers can help to show the world is on the same anti genocidal wavelength
Can’t handle the music, but I got it playing on my spare phone in the corner of a room I’m not in for the day. Haha
That’s hilarious, tbh. Lol
Not a bad idea. Like they always say vote with your wallet and your feet.
This video kicks ass!
I love a good display of solidarity
Sheeran wrote. “I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
They say actions speak louder than words, and Sheeran continuing to play on for those who would silence an anti-genocide movement says plenty more than he’s allowing himself to, especially when all of his supporting acts did refuse the money and bowed out.
His values: $$$
Remember kids, not choosing a side is a side.
Most of these billionaires only support Israel because its economy feeds America. Israel’s tech sector touches silicone valley in myriad ways. Israel’s lobbying arm gets politicians rich. Israeli aid gets spent with American contractors - especially military. It’s a big greedy circle jerk, not true solidarity on Israel’s actions. America only calls out genocide when its low stakes for the owner class or an enemy.
your mixing up your cause and effect. zionism is an export of the american elite, always has been
Didn’t they all leave in support of Palestine?
Yeah the headline is wrong or rolling stone is too scared to say “in support of Palestine”
Thank you for understanding my point and, ultimately, I’d argue the article’s headline is at least more neutral than OPs version in the post.
ALL OF ED SHEERAN’S OPENERS ABANDON TOUR AFTER MACKLEMORE DEBACLE
vs.
Finneas and Every Other Ed Sheeran Opener Have Abandoned His Tour in Support of Macklemore
macklemore was booted from the tour for making pro-palestine comments at one of the shows.
I’m aware, but as Macklemore’s own statement said, he is not a victim. I would hope the acts that quit did so in support of Palestine, not Macklemore.
But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim.
Well, they kinda drew a line in the sand. Now, if you stay on tour, youre pro isreal by default. This is how lines are drawn
Funny thing is, it was Kraft who drew the line and caused this whole thing. And everyone but sheeran stepped right over his line. it really highlights how much the US isnt buying the zionists BS narrative anymore.
Kraft is the bad guy here
Ed Sheeran is in a horrible position. He has sunk $20+ million of his own money Into prepaid stage set ups, trucks to transport equipment, hired staff, and more that he can’t get back unless the ticket sales cover it.
He doesn’t really have a sensible option of just canceling this thing.
The promoter is also the bad guy here. That’s who made the decisions.
I interpret Ed’s statement as saying that he is pro-Palestine, but he has So much invested in this tour that it would be financially devastating for Robert Kraft to cancel the venues.
The problem is Kraft.
Not necessarily, which is why I hope the quit in support of Palestine.
Being pro-Macklemore ≠ pro-Palestine and from what I recall about the statements each posted they were very carefully worded.
I’ll never fault anyone for doing the right thing, even if it’s for the wrong reasons, but I’ll always be sceptical of the motivations of public figures in these situations.
You’re quite right that this can be an important distinction to make, but in this case it’s moot. I read all the artists statements and all of them explicitly state both of those positions. Yes, they all directly supported Macklemore speaking out, but they all also followed that by stating some form of agreement with him on Palestine.
Finneas strait up says, “I stand with Palestine and its people”. Aaron Rowe uses the phrase “Israeli genocide”. Beoga says “We fully supported his message.” and goes on to say a lot more about Palestine, colonialism and violence. The only one who doesn’t specifically name anyone is Lukas Graham, but even he talks about speaking out against any violence on civilians and children, no matter who they are, which in the context of it being a response to Macklemore’s statements should obviously be read to include Palestine.
It’s not moot. In fact the headline of the post is editorialized compared to the headline of the article itself.
Finneas’ statement is both in character and explicit compared to the others.
Lukas Graham’s statement could be ambiguous
It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.
and Aaron Rowe’s is in support of those who speak up not being silenced, it’s not actually advocating for Palestine directly.
I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage
Even Beoga’s leaves some wiggle room with its phrasing.
As I said, doing the right thing, even for the wrong reasons, shouldn’t be dismissed but all too often the opinions of those with something to lose or gain shift with popular opinion.
Ultimately take issue with the editorializing by OP and am sceptical of any who stand behind someone else’s actions rather than alongside them with their own.
You’re right that which thing the headline was chosen to say is not moot, and still matters a lot.
I can see how Graham and Rowe’s statements could be interpreted that way, but I genuinely think they were not intended to be ambiguous. Hard disagree on Beoga though, I see no wiggle room whatsoever in their rather long and detailed statement.
You’re being downvoted because the stuff you’re assuming is directly addressed in the quotes from the artists in the article for this whole thread. You don’t even have to go find them somewhere else, they’re literally in quotation marks in the article that this entire thread is a about.
I neither see nor care about downvotes (or upvotes for that matter).
the stuff you’re assuming
I didn’t assume anything. I questioned the articles headline and expressed sceptisism. As for the quotes, both Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe’s were walk-the-line neutral. Fineness and Beoga are the ones who explicitly state their position.
You can say that you just read the article after being called out. I just wanted you to realize how dumb you were being. Now you’re trying to cites specifics to save face and it makes you look way worse.
This quote from Lukas Graham from the article doesn’t sound neutral to me:
Graham wrote, “It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.
“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge,” he added. “I love Ed, and I’m grateful for everything we’ve shared. That hasn’t changed. But I can’t put these words out into the world and carry on with this tour as things stand. We’re withdrawing from the remaining dates. I’m sorry I won’t be there. This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”
Nor does this sound neutral from Aaron Rowe:
“I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage,” Rowe wrote on Instagram. Rowe added that he did not “take the decision lightly,” thanking Sheeran for his friendship and for the opportunities he’d given him. “But,” Rowe continued, “as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation… I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonization, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.” (Humanitarian groups and a United Nations commission have said Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide. Israel and its allies, including the United States, have denied this.)
I swear to god if you try to keep back pedaling the chain is gonna fly off your bike and kill someone.
