Ed Sheeran’s $100 million gamble: What is Macklemore’s tour removal really going to cost him?
Analysis: When Macklemore was pulled from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour – after stadium owners led by NFL Patriots billionaire Robert Kraft refused to host him over his on-stage support for Palestine – promoters thought they’d contained a multi-million-dollar disaster.
They likely believed that dropping Macklemore would save Sheeran’s entire US stadium tour, backed by billionaire NFL stadium owners, from being completely cancelled.
Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour is now without any opening acts. It’s unclear whether Sheeran’s tour will continue as normal without any. Getty/Paras Griffin
Cancelling the leg entirely would have been a total nightmare, burning through an estimated $60 million to $100 million in total tour revenue.
That’s the money that keeps the lights on, pays for dozens of semi-trucks, covers promoter guarantees, and keeps hundreds of crew members paid.
Instead, the decision to remove Macklemore triggered a mass exodus of supporting acts. Within hours of Sheeran attempting to stay neutral, every remaining support act – including Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas, and Sheeran’s own touring backing band, Beoga – walked out in solidarity.
What was meant to be a quick PR fix has metastasised into an operational and financial crisis that could cost Sheeran far more than the initial risk of a venue dispute.
It’s no secret that Sheeran’s tours are big bucks. His Mathematics Tour grossed $875 million across 188 shows from 2022 to 2025 and years before that The Divide tour grossed $776 million.
Now, with the North American leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour resuming on September 19, there’s a big mess to clean up, and fast.
Perhaps one of the biggest hits to Sheeran is Beoga walking away. Beoga isn’t an opening act – they are Sheeran’s backing band for hit songs like Galway Girl.
Replacing Sheeran’s core band days before a stadium show requires emergency band contracts, rushed rehearsal spaces and reworked lighting and sound production. None of that comes cheap.
Sheeran’s team has to absorb the skyrocketing costs of emergency artist replacements, legal renegotiations, and production shifts entirely out of pocket.
Macklemore performed as an opener at Sheeran’s New Jersey shows on September 4 and 5, and was scheduled for eight additional dates before his removal. Getty
It might not be all bad news for Sheeran though, his Loop Tour is a return to his roots – just him, an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal playing mostly solo to crowds.
While Beoga do back up Sheeran for several songs, the Shape of You singer is more than used to performing on his own.
Then there’s the opener slot itself. Finding acts to fill those empty spots on zero notice is near impossible, especially when most artists won’t want to step into the middle of a media storm.
If Sheeran ends up playing in these 70,000 plus seat stadiums entirely on his own, the costs will still add up in subtle ways.
If he stretches out his solo set to make up for the empty stage time, he risks running past strict city stadium curfews. In some major U.S. cities, going just 15 minutes over curfew can trigger automatic five-figure fines.
Ed Sheeran issued a lengthy statement following Macklemore’s removal. Part of it is pictured. Instagram/@teddysphotos
Then of course there’s the concession drops. Longer downtime before the main event changes how crowds trickle in, which hits merchandise and food revenue – something stadium deals are heavily tied to.
Beyond the hit to Sheeran’s wallet, there’s the brand side of things.
For over a decade, Sheeran has built one of the most bulletproof, comfortably neutral brands in pop music.
In all of this, Sheeran has said he would not be drawn into public debate about Israel and Palestine.
Even with Sheeran trying to stay neutral to protect the massive business and tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars behind the stadium tour, somehow the result is that almost everyone is unhappy.
