Frontman Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys has voiced criticism over the decision to remove rapper Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Casey made the remarks during an interview with Boston Public Radio, where he emphasized the importance of musicians supporting one another on tour. He said that throughout his three-decade career, Dropkick Murphys has chosen the bands that opened for them and treated those performers as part of the touring family.
Macklemore was removed from the remaining dates of the tour after making remarks in support of Palestinians and criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza during a show at MetLife Stadium. Sheeran later said pressure from stadium owners left the tour facing the possibility of canceled shows if Macklemore remained on the bill.
According to Casey, the act of not supporting fellow performers goes against the spirit of collaboration in the music industry. Casey added that he personally felt it was wrong for Sheeran to not stand with Macklemore, regardless of the reason behind the decision, according to Consequence. The frontman also shared that he had faced backlash himself for speaking out during a recent festival appearance.
He mentioned that about half the audience left after Dropkick Murphys made anti-Trump comments at Rocklahoma, which Casey said angered the owner of the site. Despite this, Casey said he believed it was necessary to speak out on issues he cared about. He continued to express his belief that artists should be true to their values and stand by what they say.
Casey noted that he was told the situation angered the owner of the site and made it unlikely that his band would be invited back. Sheeran has said the decision to remove Macklemore was not his, but rather made by the tour promoter Messina Touring Group, Rolling Stone reported. Additional pressure reportedly came from Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium. Kraft confirmed that he would not allow Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium, while The Wall Street Journal reported that he also contacted other stadium and venue owners.
Macklemore responded by pledging to donate one million dollars to organizations supporting Palestinians. Macklemore also challenged Kraft to match his donation. Kraft later said Sheeran had asked him to commit two million dollars to match a separate two-million-dollar humanitarian aid pledge that Kraft attributed to Sheeran. Sheeran had not publicly confirmed that pledge when Reuters reported on the dispute.
Children’s entertainer Ms Rachel separately pledged one million dollars to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund to match Macklemore’s donation. A representative for Sheeran did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment about the statement.
Casey’s comments garnered applause during the taping. He also emphasized that promoters should not be the ones making decisions about what happens on stage. Dropkick Murphys is set to perform at Tom Morello’s Power to the People festival in Columbia, Maryland, on October 3rd. The festival will be held at Merriweather Post Pavilion and includes Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Public Enemy, Joan Baez and other performers.
The band will also tour with Rise Against later this year across Australia and New Zealand. The tour begins in Christchurch on November 21 before moving to Auckland and several Australian dates.
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