Jack Antonoff calls out Ed Sheeran over Macklemore controversy: ‘Missed a beautiful opportunity’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jack Antonoff has slammed Ed Sheeran for going ahead with his Loop Tour after Macklemore was fired because of his pro-Palestine stance.
The multi-instrumentalist asserted that saying “free Palestine” is “not in any way a strange, uncomfortable or controversial thing. It’s a deeply human thing to say.”
Jack Antonoff says he feels 'way more emboldened to' support Palestine after Macklemore controversy
In an interview with The Guardian published Sunday, October 25, Antonoff revealed that though he has always said “free Palestine” onstage at Bleachers shows, he has “felt way more emboldened to say” it since the Macklemore controversy.
The 42-year-old music producer also said that if anyone thinks “it is [controversial], you’re lost in some other sauce that is so crazy." He stressed that some promoter cannot tell him what to do.
Jack Antonoff believes Ed Sheeran should have canceled the tour after Macklemore firing
“Don’t book me. I’ll play for free outside. [Ed Sheeran] missed a massive, beautiful opportunity there,” Antonoff told the publication, before saying that Sheeran should have canceled the tour and “play for free outside each venue, raise a bunch of money" rather than let a billionaire tell him what to do.
“The reason it’s not an anomaly or niche issue is because we all live in a world where billionaires are constantly telling us what to do,” the Bleachers lead singer added.
Antonoff’s comments came more than a month after Macklemore was dropped from the Loop Tour over remarks supporting Palestine and criticizing Israel during his opening set at Sheeran’s New Jersey show on September 5.
He had reportedly said, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against g******e, it in no way is criticism of you. This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
Ed Sheeran apologized for 'making mistakes'
Messina Touring Group, the promoter of the US leg of the Loop tour, issued a statement saying, “We have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.”
Following Macklemore’s removal, all of the remaining musicians scheduled to perform on the tour also decided to pull out. But Sheeran did not take a side in the conflict.
In his lengthy statement, the ‘Shape of You’ hitmaker said, “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so sorry.”
