Guy Sebastian wades into Ed Sheeran tour debacle after other opening acts speak out

Australian musician Guy Sebastian has waded into the controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, after all of the English singer’s support acts dropped out.

The mass exodus – from Finneas (aka Billie Eillish’s brother), Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga – came after Sheeran cut Macklemore from the tour following the American rapper’s pro-Palestinian statements on stage.

Myles Smith, who has already completed his run of shows as Sheeran’s support act, also spoke out in a blistering nine-slide Instagram text post.

The BRIT Awards winner said he didn’t want to throw his friend and fellow musician under the bus but simultaneously slammed how things have played out.

“This is not me protecting a slot, a cheque, or an opportunity. I have absolutely no need to say anything here,” Smith began.

“I could have stayed silent, coasted along, or asked my PR to write something clean and careful. But f--- that.

“I am a man of values before I am an artist. And who I am in my mother’s eyes, my brother’s eyes and God’s eyes will always matter more to me than numbers on a screen.”

Smith went on to talk about growing up in Luton, south of London, where “Islam and Muslim culture were part of the beauty and fabric of everyday life” and also his time working with Holocaust survivors, leaving him appreciative of both communities.

“You can mourn Jewish trauma and still condemn the bombing of Palestinian children,” he wrote.

“You can reject antisemitism and still reject occupation, collective punishment and the killing of civilians. You can understand why Israeli civilians carry fear, while saying plainly that Palestinians are suffering on a catastrophic scale and deserve freedom, safety, dignity and self-determination.”

Speaking of his friend, he said the Shape of You singer was not the victim, nor was he the perpetrator in all of this.

“It’s simple: Ed is not the victim here. Palestinians are. But let’s not get confused: Ed is also not the perpetrator. I need to be very clear about Ed. He is my friend… and there is no pressure, no trend, no headline and no comment section that will make me turn on him or hang him out to dry,” Smith said.

“I know enough of the man, the way he moves, and the good he has done quietly to say this situation is painfully ironic. Because the person being flattened into a symbol online is someone who, behind the curtain, has put more time, care and money into making the world better than most people will ever know.

“Supporting Palestinian life, safety and freedom does not require me to betray someone I know to be a good human being. It requires me to keep the focus where it belongs: on the people suffering, and on the people with the power to stop it.”

Sebastian, who rose to fame as the inaugural Australian Idol winner and went on to compete for Australia in Eurovision, commented on the post.

“THIS Is how you do it,” Sebastian wrote.

In replies to his comment some fans applauded Sebastian’s encouragement, while others slammed him for getting involved.

But Sebastian isn’t the only one joining the conversation.

Logie-winning New Zealand actress Danielle Cormack commented on Beoga’s statement about quitting Sheeran’s tour.

“I’m here for all the people taking a stand against being silenced,” she wrote. “This is how it’s done.”

Aussie radio personality Ash London wrote “Amen” to children’s entertainer Ms Rachel, who labelled it “racist” to treat “some children’s lives as less worthy of outrage”.

Australian singers Vance Joy and Mia Wray, who both performed as opening acts for 17 Sheeran shows across Australia and New Zealand at the start of the year, have not yet commented on the saga.

Neither have former opening acts Sigrid, Amble and Ellie Banke.

However, all-female Irish folk band BIIRD took to social media to support Macklemore, whose controversial two-minute speech in New Jersey took place on their last night on tour.

“Following the decision for Macklemore to be dropped from the Loop Tour, we feel it is important to be clear about where we stand,” they wrote in a text post on Instagram.

“Our time on the Loop Tour has already come to an end. Our last show was at the MetLife stadium where we witnessed Macklemore’s speech. We stand unequivocally behind every word he said.

“Our support is with the people of Palestine, with the artists who have made the difficult decision to step away from the tour and with anybody that speaks up against Zionist lobbying groups.”

The comments that sparked the saga

While on stage on September 4, Macklemore told the crowd that being able to say “Free Palestine” in stadiums was a big part of why he joined the tour.

Adding that he wanted people to say the words loudly so the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” would know “we have not forgotten about them”.

The comments led to the Israeli-American Council launching a petition to have the American rapper dropped from his eight remaining shows on the tour.

The bulk of the outrage aimed at Sheeran is based on two things.

The first being his claim in the wake of Macklemore’s comments that he is politically neutral. Many have pointed out that same neutrality didn’t apply when he was involved in a charity single for the people of Ukraine with U2, called Yours Eternally.

And second is a perception he didn’t stand up to billionaire Jewish businessman Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots NFL team, who was behind Macklemore being dropped.

Amid the backlash, Kraft defended his decision, saying the stadium has a commitment to “ensuring that all events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech”.

He added that “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey ... we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community” and added that a “line has been crossed”.

Little support for Sheeran as artists get involved

In the 24 hours since the saga snowballed, a number of high-profile performers have had their say – and none of them sharing support for Sheeran.

British band Massive Attack said they "stand in solidarity with all artists risking their careers" by taking a stance.

"Entertainment can never be bigger than resisting the apartheid and genocide of fellow human beings," they wrote.

“Neutrality in the face of the slaughter of more than 20,000 children can never be neutrality.

"No artists should tolerate the censorship of another artist, however many millions of dollars are in play."

American rock band Garbage said, “we are witnessing one of the biggest artists in the world being cancelled because they tried to ‘both sides’ Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people”.

"This is a clear and undeniable sign that the global consciousness has shifted," they said.

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters said he had “a little message for you” in a video post, captioned “Ed who?”

"There are two kinds of people in this world. Some people do the right thing. That rapper, Macklemore, would be one of those people," he said.

"And there are people who are p***ks, like you, who do the wrong thing. Goodbye."

Sheeran’s next concert is scheduled to take place on September 19 in Philadelphia.