Aaron Rowe says Macklemore “shouldn’t have been pulled off the tour” and that critics are “focusing on the wrong person,” pointing to Robert Kraft
Aaron RoweIrish singer-songwriter and former support act on the Loop Tour, speaking in a video on his own Instagram account
In an edited Instagram video posted on September 18, Aaron Rowe, who had withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after Macklemore was removed from it, said he does not think Macklemore should have been pulled off the tour and that people were “focusing on the wrong person” in directing criticism at Sheeran. He said they should focus instead on Robert Kraft and on what he called “Zionist lobbies” that are “trying to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide.” He also said Sheeran’s statement “could have been a lot better” and that he believes Sheeran “knows that was a mistake.” Rowe’s descriptions of Kraft, of lobbying groups and of Israel’s conduct in Gaza are his own.
“focusing on the wrong person here. All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that” … “really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft.” … “I do think that Macklemore shouldn’t have been pulled off the tour.” … “I haven’t had a chance to fucking talk to Ed too much, but I fully believe he knows that was a mistake.”
Reporting
Reporting
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
At two Ed Sheeran concerts at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore called for a free Palestine, accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, and said criticism of Israel was not criticism of Jewish people. After venue objections, tour promoter Messina Touring Group said he would not perform the remaining U.S. Loop Tour dates. Critics characterized the performance as hostile or inappropriate; Macklemore defended it as a call for equal treatment.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Variety reports Rowe’s Instagram video and prints extended passages, including his remarks on Sheeran’s statement, the decision to remove Macklemore, the tour lineup and Robert Kraft. The quotation in this record follows Variety’s wording; other outlets differ on a few words.
Reporting
About this source
Rolling Stone reports Rowe’s September 18 Instagram video, which it describes as lengthy and edited, and quotes it at length, including his comments on Sheeran’s statement, Robert Kraft and the tour lineup. It notes that Sheeran’s statement attributed the removal to the promoter and to venue pressure.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
The Irish music magazine Hot Press reports the video on the day it was posted. It renders Rowe’s plural “you” as “youse”; the U.S. outlets print “you,” so the record quotes around that word.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Rowe withdrew from the Loop Tour on September 15 in support of Macklemore. Sheeran said that day that removing Macklemore was the promoter’s decision, not his own. Rolling Stone describes the video as lengthy and edited. In the same sentence as the third quoted passage, Rowe first says he knows Sheeran’s statement “could have been a lot better,” and between the third and fourth passages he says he believes there was panic “over there” and that the decision was rushed.
After the quotation
After the last quoted passage, Rowe pointed to the pro-Palestinian acts on the bill and asked why, if Sheeran were a “Zionist,” he would have booked them. He called the episode human error and said Sheeran has done a great deal for many people, including artists like him, and, like anyone, makes mistakes. He closed by saying people should use the opportunity to “plaster Robert Kraft’s face everywhere,” describing Kraft as someone who “tried to shut down free speech” and “tried to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide.” Rowe’s characterisations of Kraft, of “Zionist lobbies” and of the conflict in Gaza are his own. We could not open the original Instagram post when we checked on September 19; the wording quoted here comes from published reports of the video, and outlets differ on a few words.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On Macklemore’s MetLife message and conduct, Rowe says Macklemore should not have been pulled off the tour, calls the decision a mistake, and describes Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocide, which is how Macklemore framed his own message. Treating the removal as wrong treats the conduct that drew it as acceptable. Like Mehdi Hasan and Bernie Sanders, Rowe does not separately assess the merits of the speech, but “condemns” would require rejecting it, which he does not do. His criticism of Robert Kraft and of what he calls “Zionist lobbies” is the target of the remark, not the case position. The leniency he extends to Sheeran, whom he calls kind and says makes mistakes like anyone else, mitigates Sheeran’s responsibility without defending the removal itself, so it does not make the statement mixed. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”; it loses because Rowe attaches no condition to his view that the removal was wrong.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Macklemore, Robert Kraft, Ed Sheeran
More from this case
Read the full caseMacklemore says the "billionaire class" should not decide "which voices are allowed on stage"
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention. So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.”Read statement
Jewish Voice for Peace says the backlash to Macklemore's removal shows support for pro-Palestine speech
Jewish Voice for Peace
“Two years into Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine organizing, the backlash against Sheeran shows how little patience Americans have for attacks on pro-Palestine speech. It also demonstrates the shift toward support for Palestinian rights among everyday Americans that our movements have helped propel.”Read statement
Macklemore announces "Free Palestine Tour" after removal from U.S. dates
“To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Aaron Rowe says Macklemore “shouldn’t have been pulled off the tour” and that critics are “focusing on the wrong person,” pointing to Robert Kraft
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/1229-in-an-edited-instagram-video-posted-on-september
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Aaron Rowe says Macklemore “shouldn’t have been pulled off the tour” and that critics are “focusing on the wrong person,” pointing to Robert Kraft". First published: 2026-09-20. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1229-in-an-edited-instagram-video-posted-on-september