“I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so. I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
His values
Hehehehehehehe.
Fuck Ed Sheeran, I despised him before it was popular.
Ed should have mackled more
LMFAO
Different band.
Well, Ed started as a busker, alone with his guitar. Looks like he might end as one, just on a large stage in a stadium.
LOL i don’t know anything about sheeran but i wouldn’t be surprised if he knows nothing and has no opinion on palestine, only what his managers tell him.
his only course of action now is to fess up and apologize. he was afraid of being blacklisted by venues, now he should be afraid of being ditched by millions of sane people
The thing is he’s always been considered a pretty decent person who is much more down to earth than you’d expect from his level of celebrity, and I get why he’s tried to avoid taking a stance on this, but the time for sitting on a fence is well over.
He took a very solid stance. He called it a conflict and called on both sides to stop war. That’s genocide denial and proganada.
Can’t really avoid taking a stance on genocide.
Yeah, I’ve now purged all my great moments with his songs.
It’s one thing to avoid it, but when directly confronted with it, he fucked up. Had he told Kraft to pound sand, he’d still have a tour and support, but he picked a side by “not picking a side”.
“There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed” Thank you for that, Macklemore
He’s now Sir Macklemost, Defender of the Oppressed
We can’t afford to be neutral on a moving train
well there was a time when many of us thought Elon as smart… Sheeran’s “pretty decent” persona was shattered by the ultra low hanging fruit of simply saying “war is bad” (which would have been enough to get him out of this hole)
Not even as low as “war is bad”, because even that can have some nuance, but it was “verifiable genocide, an explicit extinction of a group of people by another, in one of the most one-sided conflicts in history is bad.”
This genocide is like watching a roided-up bull kill several babies on purpose just because they were there, and also also saying nothing about the people who put the fucking thing in the daycare and gave it the drugs after it already attacked people. (Note: I am not saying Palestinians are weak babies and if anyone needs to have the conversation then they don’t have the literacy level to make it worth anyone’s time).
right you are… I was going for the bare bone minimum that would have probably save Sheeran’s face and he could not even muster that much
I mis-typed, I meant to say that “war is bad” is a higher bar. If this genocide can’t make you take a stand against something then you don’t stand for anything but your own pocketbook, as these people have proven over and over.
He did say “war is bad”, and that’s part of the problem.
I am not trying To be an apologist or whatever but the fact matter is Ed spent millions of dollars On personnel, trucks, lodging, Logistics stage design stage equipment expecting to make it back because he fronts the cost for his own tour. Contracts are signed. People are hired equipment is rented trucks are booked. Much of it is prepaid. Ed is the one holding the and the contract not really in a position to just cancel legally or financially.
He put out a really poor statement, yeah, but he’s not in the same position the others are. Cut him a little slack. The venue owner Robert Kraft is the problem here.
Ed needs a crisis manager
If you don’t have an opinion about such a grave disaster, you have an opinion about it.
The church I play music at this year, during the kids’ moment of the service, they sometimes open the mic up so the kids can ask questions and make comments. There are third graders (I chose that age because that’s how old the kid was) with more complicated, accurate, and empathetic opinions about the genocide of Palestinians than what sheeran gave us.
So like if you don’t have an opinion on it, you have had since 1950 (ish. I’m rounding up) to learn. I learned about the intifadas when I was in my 20s, so i don’t hold it against the youts if they’re not basing their positions off a clear picture. Shit I’m middle aged and I’m still a novice when it comes to international geopolitics. I enjoy reading about it tho.
That’s the thing. If you put the hands in front of your eyes, you actively try to ignore it. There is no way you did not come across zero information about the Israel/Palestine conflict in the past decades. This is why I say that if you have no opinion, you actively ignore the facts (for whatever reason), which automatically gives you a stance on the topic.
There is a difference between “I have no opinion” and “I am not so well informed to have a factual opinion, but my gut is telling me, that there is something bad happening and we should actually talk about it”
Ed is nothing but a coward.
The guy for sure has “that look”. Like the lights are on but nobody’s home. So his response was “c’mon gui, can’t we all just… Get along?”
he’s trying to donate millions and pressure kraft to donate millions ‘in the region’ whatever that means.
Macklemore was booted off the tour after his two-minute speech on September 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which advocated for a “free Palestine,” “the occupied West Bank,” and criticism of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Wtf. Is this a typo? Or were they actually advocating for continuing the occupation??
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to say this all day. One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. I said, Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them… So I say Free Palestine, I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan, I say Free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organisation, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.
He advocated for a free Palestine from Gaza to the occupied West Bank. Seems the author didn’t realize the occupied West Bank is part of occupied Palestine, but they’re not saying he advocated for continuing the occupation…
they can’t figure out what he is actually saying so they are just slapping it tougher. it’s called the enshitification of journalism.
I doubt many folks are viewing this through a sports lens, but as a Sounders fan I am very pleased to see the part owner of the Seattle Sounders stand up for what’s right against the evil New England Revolution owner.
I too am a huge fan of sounding but what’s that have to do with sports or Macklemore?
They specifically said what it had to do with Macklemore (and Kraft) in their post. Kraft being the catalyst for all of this.
Woosh.
They were making a joke about sounding
Oof, you’re right. I completely missed the first half of that comment and just saw the sports part.
Big woosh indeed.
Just a joke man. If you don’t know what it is, don’t look it up on any NSFW sites… Trust me, I’m sparing you here. To each their own but I wish I didn’t see it myself!
Oh no, I know what it is. I just completely overlooked that part of your post. I’m disappointed in myself because it’s a great comment. I edited it to not look like a dick and to correct my mistake.
This is good enough to make me a Seahawks fan for the season so I can talk about the ludicrous displays last night.
This is actually a fallacy. Rooting against his team still puts money in his pockets
Okay then fuck the Seahawks go Packers.
Either way some billionaire gets more billionarey.
Bread and circuses and all that.
But, seriously, Arsenal does try to walk it in.
Ownership-wise the Packers are probably the best pro sports team to root for because they’re the only non profit community owned professional sports team in the US.
But I live in Minnesota and Minnesotans like to pretend there’s some kind of rivalry there lol.
Also the MST3K guys mention them a lot in their riff of The Giant Spider Invasion which is also enough for me to love the Packers forever. Also, who doesn’t love cheese?
I really have no loyalty.
Go. Packers.
That’s the thing about the… Niners? They always try to walk it in.
I have to say, pretty sure Sounders is the worst name in pro sports. I would assume a sounder is one that partakes in sounding.
I’m sure someone in Seattle is sticking things in.
It’s for the Puget Sound! A sound is a body of water! Get your head out of the gutter!
Meanwhile, the Mariners have been snubbing Macklemore since 2024
The Seahawks beat the Robert Kraft owned New England Patriots last year in the Superbowl. We beat them last week with our back-up quarterback. Small wins in life, yeah?
Sadly I’m a Patriots fan and until this Kraft had a decent reputation for most fans. He can go fuck himself now.
You must not have heard that he’s in the epstein files?
In 2019, Kraft was among 25 people facing first-degree misdemeanor charges for soliciting prostitution at a day spa.[145] His attorney electronically entered a not-guilty plea, and later submitted a court filing where Kraft waived arraignment, pled not guilty to all charges and requested a jury trial.[151] A memo filed by Kraft’s attorneys revealed that hidden cameras had been installed when investigators entered the facility under the guise of suspected human trafficking.[156] A Palm Beach County judge ruled that prosecutors could not use the videos in their case, citing privacy concerns.[157] A Florida appeals court also ruled that Kraft’s constitutional rights were violated, and all the charges were dropped.[162] U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz ordered the videos to be destroyed.[163]
In 2026, it was revealed that Kraft had kept a relationship with child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and that Epstein had recommended Kraft use his lawyer to defeat the charges.[164]
Given the number of legit famous people Epstein surrounded himself with because he was, at that point, rich himself: no being mentioned in the files isn’t a defacto “that person is complicit”. I don’t think Stephen Hawking, Bruce Willis, or Cate Blanchett were diddling kids either despite being in the files. DeCaprio… Well that one wouldn’t surprise me.
DiCaprio who has no sexual allegations against him, surprises you - but a billionaire who buys prostitutes in a spa suspected of human trafficking gets the benefit of the doubt?
He’s also a vocal Trump supporter on top of his other transgressions. He’s always been a piece of shit.
I haven’t looked into this, but you’re right that a lot of people are mentioned. However, from the little I’ve heard of this, this guy seems to be more than a mention. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like he was an associate.
Hmmm. Again, Kraft used Epstein’s recommended lawyer that got Epstein out of shit. You can shut your eyes and say blah, blah, blah, but this is all still true.
Kraft’s attorneys had been pushing for the videos to be destroyed, as the 79-year-old billionaire was worried that the videos would be circulated on the Internet.
Judge Orders Destruction Of Alleged Sex Tapes Of Robert Kraft
Look if there was evidence of wrongdoing I’d want him to spend just as much time in prison as anyone else, but can we agree what you describe is a pretty far cry from evidence he was fucking kids? Come on now.
I mean, it sounds like the court ordered the evidence destroyed, so there’s no way to know one way or the other. But isn’t that like kind of shady
The videotaping at the business lasted for five days, and wound up recording two women and two men receiving legitimate massages, not just the men paying for sexual services."
Four people over five days received an actual massage lol. They destroyed the evidence because of a technically. Did you even read the article?
The other Sheeran-level star signers are pretty quiet these days.
GOOD. I know this bullshit isn’t Sheeran’s fault personally, and I honestly don’t blame him for trying to stay neutral, much as I disagree with it, but the musicians need to put pressure on the asshole rich people trying to force their opinion$ and their propping up Israel onto us.
Fence-sitting on genocide is squarely “his fault,” and an unforced error
Are we having the same conversation? The promotors and stadium owners are the ones who got Macklemore kicked, and i flat out said I disagreed with Sheeran not taking a stance. I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself, you don’t need to make up things for me to say.
I honestly don’t blame him for trying to stay neutral
Cool. Everyone else does.
Funny how you cropped out the part right after where I said I disagreed with him doing that.
Right, but you don’t blame him. You should blame him for his cowardice.
Well apparently unlike you I don’t think it’s my personal province to make decisions for other people or tell them how they should feel about things.
Genocide. He should feel strongly about genocide and act uppn those feelings. Curse him for a coward. He is rich, he would be fine. Children are dying in misery and he gets to decide he is neutral. No.
I think that’s different though bud…
Let’s try a more blatant example for clarification, imagine you said the following about someone who murdered his wife:
“personally I don’t blame him for killing his bitch of a wife, although I disagree”
the issue here is that you, like Sheeran, seem to think that staying neutral on genocide is being neutral even though you clearly know better than that… what you said armounts to “I would have done the same as Sheeran, if I were in his shoes”
You are putting a whole lot of words I did not say in my mouth. I said I understood why Sheeran was staying neutral, he’s trying to play the whole " I’m an artist for all people" blah blah bullshit. And I said I disagreed with it. It’s really common for musicians to do that, because they want ALL fans. One of the reasons I like Macklemore is that he doesn’t do that and is willing to put his career on the line for it. The fact that just trying to say “I understand why someone did something even if I don’t like it” still gets bombarded is pretty fucked up.
You are putting a whole lot of words I did not say in my mouth
Correct, and I warned in advance I was doing that to exemplify the point… I even warned I was being exaggerated about it
It’s really common for musicians to do that, because they want ALL fans.
Again, the issue here is that not taking a side in a genocide is taking the side for genocide
another example: no reasonable person would judge you if a bar fight start between two giants and you decide to not get involved… however, any reasonable person would judge you if you see a grown man beating a toddler and you don’t even call 911
The fact that just trying to say “I understand why someone did something even if I don’t like it” still gets bombarded is pretty fucked up.
Again, it’s not a normal thing you are understanding from Sheeran here… in my example above, I don’t think most people would be chill if I said “I disagree with beating the crap oot of toddlers, but I understand letting it happen and moving on”
He rightfully took side in Russian war of aggression of Ukraine. Stop with your bullshit excuses
You make it look like it is subjective but it is not
Buddy, it’s not my job to tell other people what they should think. I said I disagreed with him, that’s the maximum I feel like I should care about someone else’s opinion.
Being critical of peoples thought and actions is not telling them how to think. It’s telling them how you think.
I think it is everybody job to completely object genocide
Funny how you contradicted your self and you’re upset people point it out.
Your not crazy man. These people are psychopaths, lol. I bet aren’t even conscious enough to feel their own face.
Too much privilege makes people less than human.
Ed has all the privileges. He could be completely cancelled and still live a normal life for the rest of his life yet you come here defending him
Ed Sheeran has enough wealth and fame he could have told the stadium owners and promoters to go fuck themselves. It would have been the right thing to do just to support his friend Macklemore. It is immensely more correct to do it to be a voice against genocide. So while Ed may not have been the original source of the problem, he is still very much part of the problem.
And even if the tour was cancelled because he took a stand, he absolutely could have turned around and started a new tour. And likely sold out any concerts based on his existing fame and the additional press this has generated. Now he is lumped with every other greedy pos that decided money was more important than lives.
He said to Mac that holding an, Palestinian flag hurt many people feeling. It is Ed fault personally
Unless Ed personally kicked him off the tour no, that’s not how words work. I flat out said I disagreed with Sheeran trying not to take a stand.
He rejected palestinians right to exist by condemning Mac use of a palestinians flag. He did not take no side he took the side of genocide
People talk like this but still fund the nations paying for the wars daily.
You’re no different Ed Sheeran in this regard if you live within a nation sending funds and weapons to Israel.
All people still sitting pretty and talking drama about this war while still funding their nations are the enemy. And that includes me too but if you want to actually make change you must understand we fuel it just by living in these nations we are backbone their evil. All the trending drama sounds like people complaining about a refs call in football game. Your spectators and you fund the war as well.
This is not a war, it is a fucking genocide. This scum Ed Sheeran is concerned that raising a flag and saying Free Palestine hurts the feelings of Zionists who talk like Nazis. Opposing showing a Palestinian flag is genocidal; it is a rejection of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
If you are bitching about people opposing this idiot and defending his shitty position, then it is you who consider genocide like a football game.
“I understand why he said something and disagree with it” = defending his position. Ok buddy.
You are defending his position by claiming that it is a matter of subjectivity. His position is to suppress anti genocide boice by claiming it hurt zinonazis feeling this is objectively wrong
You’re saying being impartial to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly half of them are children, is not his fault?
You don’t blame him for falling to condemn the murder, starvation, rape, and torture of an entire People?
In what possible way could he be absolved of his responsibility? If anything, he’s even more responsible to speak out against it given the privilege he has been granted with his platform.
Well I didn’t say any of that or anything close to that. Were you just waiting to offer up that rant?
You literally said, verbatim, ‘it’s not his fault’ and ‘i don’t blame him’ so idk what you’re really looking for out of this response.
Macklemore getting booted is not his fault, ffs you have to really bend over backward to try to interpret what I said differently.
Okay ignoring the fact that you clearly don’t know or comprehend what your original comment said…
Unless Ed said ‘if they go, I go’ it’s literally his fault. He didn’t do what’s within his power to stand up against, again, the LITERAL GENOCIDE of a predominantly CHILD population.
He is complicit. It’s his fault. He is personally responsible.
It’s not a very difficult concept to understand.
And before you say shit about contracts or whatever else, he has an estimated net worth of nearly half a billion dollars. More money than an individual or family could need in several lifetimes.
I’d ask you to avoid changing the subject but you’ve never really been on subject. Even Macklemore said he didn’t blame Sheeran, so maybe you should stop being so offended on someone else’s behalf.
Hey, you know what you’re right. Since we’re going off topic here’s a link you will evidently find useful, https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
Bruh. The MAIN takeaway from this incident is that not taking sides, is taking sides.
Get a clue.
Ed Sheeran is weak, but Robert Kraft is the evil psychopathic billionaire who started all this.
A profound fuck to Robert Kraft in particular.
At least Sheeran isn’t in the Epstein Files.
A lot of singers like Roan Chapel ditched the agency Ed Sheeran was part of because the head was a huge Zionist. Ed stayed. Now we see the results.
This is how you challenge their power. Assign consequence to compliance
Billionaires are societal cancer. One person should not have unelected power at the scale a billionaire does. They need to be removed.
Interesting how Ed Sheeran is the one getting dragged in the media and all over Lemmy while the literal billionaire who started this shit is probably getting rub and tugged in Florida right now.
As if I needed another reason to hate the Patriots.
If it was a clear and cut case of contract breach for the tour, that would be one thing. But it doesn’t sound like that’s what it was about. So Ed is getting dragged for not standing up for his fellow artist.
From what I’ve gathered, Ed pretty much just threw his hands up and said, “I don’t want to get involved, you guys figure it out.” Fair enough if that’s the case. That’s his choice. But we see the result of what people think about those who take the cowards way out.
He doesn’t want to deal with politics. He just wants to perform. And I get that. But it’s still cowardly to not stand up for your fellow artist. And that’s why everyone else is dropping out.
When you’re the leading the artist of a tour there’s a whole bunch of complicated shit. You might be fronting some out of pocket, the promoters become your business partners, and there are a lot of mouths to feed, etc
You could just appease Kraft and find a different opener for the shows at Gillette Stadium but instead they cancelled Mack for the entirety of the North American tour. Why?
Kraft won’t admit it but it sure does seem like he called in favors to all the other owners of venues (almost all NFL stadiums) to cancel him out. I think that kind of collusion is a much bigger story.
Oh no. Poor ed spent some money? Well you have to do it if money was spent. Thems tha rules.
Ha that’s one deal I’m not even sure is true. The point of my comment is that focusing on Sheeran instead of Kraft is missing the forest for the trees.
Except we already know Kraft is a billo child fucker. We THOUGHT ed was an okay guy. Turns out he is a just a coward piece of shit.
I really dislike how people throw around ‘piece of shit’ at will when it’s dehumanizing term really intended for someone with no path for redemption.
That’s how it works with Zionist ass kissers. They get the humiliation ritual in return for the shekels.
Ed has more power than the venues and promoters. He isnt getting blacklisted from anywhere when he makes them as much money as he does. He doesnt even need balls to stand up to them. They need him.
The signs promoting a chance to win to open for Ed Sheeran in Mexico City are too funny. He really stepped into it
Does that mean I can do back? If So, I’ll wear my “fuck the trumps” shirt
I only know how to play clarinet (and marginally), but it’s probably no worse than Ed’s shitty music anyway
Bring left shark, too!
Breaking News: Ed Sheeran’s own family, two fingers and all four toes on his left foot pull out of US tour
Boy, I bet he’s regretting his “Both sides are bad” take
He’s not taking a “both sides are bad” take. He’s taking a “I don’t want to deal with politics, I just want to perform”.
But then why ban Macklemore unless he suspected Macklemore would’ve gone on a political rant?
Regardless, not using your platform to advocate for people without a platform is a form of complicity.
But then why ban Macklemore unless he suspected Macklemore would’ve gone on a political rant?
He wasn’t banned ahead of going on a “political rant”, he was removed after. So I don’t know what you’re on about there.
Regardless, not using your platform to advocate for people without a platform is a form of complicity.
That is highly debatable. I heard no one go on a “political rant” about the various internal conflicts in Africa. Are they complicit in those because of that? If an artist just wants to do their art. I say fair enough. I strongly disagree that it’s a form of complicity
He wasn’t banned ahead of going on a “political rant”, he was removed after. So I don’t know what you’re on about there.
The rumor mill that gave me most of what I know about this incident didn’t tell me that piece, so that’s why I’m “on about” not knowing what you know.
That is highly debatable. I heard no one go on a “political rant” about the various internal conflicts in Africa. Are they complicit in those because of that? If an artist just wants to do their art. I say fair enough. I strongly disagree that it’s a form of complicity
A fair point, atrocities come and go from the public eye. A thousand Palestinian deaths is no more tragic than a thousand African deaths. It’d be nice if one could speak on every one of them freely, but evidently speaking on Palestine is not allowed by these tour producers/managers/etc. It would be interesting to see what would have happened had Macklemore spoke about Africa, but we can’t wind back the clock so this kinda boils down to a Whataboutism/Red Herring. Suffice it to say, this particular artist wasn’t allowed to speak their mind because someone was worried about what the shareholders, Zionists, or “I prefer to stay ignorant of politics” people might say. I think that’s lame. You do not.
The rumor mill that gave me most of what I know about this incident didn’t tell me that piece, so that’s why I’m “on about” not knowing what you know.
And here I assumed you’d read the same article we’re both commenting under where they said as much. My mistake.
It would be interesting to see what would have happened had Macklemore spoke about Africa
No it wouldn’t. We both know nothing would happen.
I think that’s lame. You do not.
Don’t put words in my mouth. It’s not going to get you anywhere.
As far as Macklemore is concerned, this is the best outcome possible. He gets tons of free publicity, and the topic he spoke about gets even more coverage as a result of what happened. And everytime Ed performs without his openers, the papers will talk about why that is.
And here I assumed you’d read the same article we’re both commenting under where they said as much. My mistake.
Nope. Not everyone has infinite time like you do. Sorry to report I’m a mere mortal.
No it wouldn’t. We both know nothing would happen.
Yeah, again, I’m only a mortal so I lack the prescience that you possess. A thousand apologies for my limitations.
Don’t put words in my mouth. It’s not going to get you anywhere.
Then, pray tell, why are you saying what you’re saying in this thread? I made a reasonable conclusion about your intent and you didn’t even deny it (yet), nor clarify what your actual intent is. You just sass me for having wounded your ego.
While i do not doubt that you’d need infinite time to read a single article. I managed just fine in 2 minutes.
It’s pretty clear what I’ve said for those who can read. And most of it seems to be because people like you type shit without even bothering to read what it is you’re commenting on. Just going around spreading misinformation. But just for you. I’ll use small words.
He just wants to sing and that’s it. He did not want to get involved at all in this ‘fight’. I think it’s cowardly. Ed also has (or had) hundreds of people working for the tour. That may very well rely on the tour to bring home money. He has enough money to say fuck it and go home. Same can’t be said for everyone else.
And don’t worry, there’s no ego to wound here.
Trying to waste others time by making them deny or defend against baseless claims is the type of shit Trump does. And the only measured response is to not even dignify it.
Going back a few days to Ed’s original statement:
“I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy,” begins Sheeran in an Instagram post.
It’s at least a little bit of a “both sides are bad” take.
