FINNEAS, who was scheduled to appear on Ed Sheeran’s upcoming tour, withdrew from the tour dates after expressing support for Palestine and the Palestinian people. The artist, who is Billie Eilish’s older brother, said artists who speak out on behalf of oppressed people should not be silenced and decided to leave the schedule after taking that position.
FINNEAS’s decision came after Macklemore was removed from the tour. 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.
Messina Touring Group removed Macklemore from the Ed Sheeran tour’s remaining eight support-act dates after the statement. The tour organizer announced the decision on September 14, 2026. Macklemore argued that he had been removed from the schedule because of his support for Palestine and his remarks onstage.
Ed Sheeran said Macklemore’s removal from the tour was not his decision and that it had been made by the organizer. Responsibility for removing the artist from the tour lineup was therefore attributed to the organizer rather than Sheeran.
The departures from the tour lineup did not end with FINNEAS. Aaron Rowe and Beoga were also announced to have left their roles on the tour. Lukas Graham’s departure remained unconfirmed, and the full list of artists who left the tour was not confirmed within the same framework.
Debate over artists’ freedom of expression
Macklemore’s remarks onstage and the departures that followed have reopened debate over the relationship between artists’ statements on political or humanitarian issues, tour contracts, concert venues and decisions by organizers. The departure of multiple artists from the tour schedule showed that the issue extended beyond a dispute between two artists.
Sheeran’s emphasis that the decision was made by the organizer brought renewed attention to how the responsibilities of artists, tour organizers and concert venue operators are divided. FINNEAS’s withdrawal after expressing support for Palestine also continued the debate over how artists’ positions intersect with their place on tour schedules.
