Jack Antonoff says Ed Sheeran "missed a massive, beautiful opportunity" to cancel his tour
Jack AntonoffMusician, songwriter and producer, leader of the band Bleachers, in a Guardian interview
In a Guardian interview, Jack Antonoff said he feels more emboldened to say "free Palestine" onstage since Macklemore's removal and that Sheeran missed an opportunity to cancel the tour and play free fundraising shows outside each venue instead.
“They’re going to let some fucking promoter tell me what I can say? Don’t book me. I’ll play for free outside. [Ed Sheeran] missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there: just cancel the whole fucking tour, then play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money, rather than let a fucking billionaire tell you what to do.”
Interview
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
Interview
About this source
Guardian interview with Jack Antonoff by Alexis Petridis. In one passage Antonoff discusses saying free Palestine at Bleachers shows and criticizes Ed Sheeran's decision to continue his tour after Macklemore's removal.
Before the quotation
Antonoff said he had been saying "free Palestine" at Bleachers shows before the controversy and now feels more emboldened, calling it "a deeply human thing to say."
After the quotation
He added that the issue is not niche because billionaires are constantly telling people what to do, and told artists to stand up.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns Macklemore's Free Palestine speech and his removal from Ed Sheeran's tour. Antonoff calls saying "free Palestine" a deeply human thing to say and criticizes Sheeran for accepting the removal under pressure from a stadium owner. Under this case's convention, opposing the removal is labeled as defending the speech.
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- People and groups discussed
- Ed Sheeran
More from this case
Read the full caseMacklemore answers the peers who sought to stop his Wembley show
“This is a story tonight of love. And regardless of what them 50 Lords have to say, this is a story of equality for all human beings around this Earth.”Read statement
Macklemore tells Dublin crowd the words "free Palestine" are "so threatening to some people"
“those two words are so threatening to some people. They would rather silence those two words than confront what they actually mean. Because freedom that requires another person’s oppression is not freedom at all.”Read statement
Macklemore repeats "free Palestine" at Red Rocks, his first show since his removal
“I say free Palestine. I say free Sudan. I say free Congo. Lebanon. To Haiti. To all the people that are affected by ICE in America who are afraid to leave their houses”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Jack Antonoff says Ed Sheeran "missed a massive, beautiful opportunity" to cancel his tour". First published: 2026-10-28. Last updated: 2026-10-28. https://disputeindex.com/events/7071-in-a-guardian-interview-jack-antonoff-said-he