Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey criticizes Ed Sheeran over treatment of Macklemore

Ken Casey criticized Ed Sheeran following Macklemore’s departure from the British singer’s Loop Tour.

The Dropkick Murphys frontman discussed the situation during a Wednesday, Sept. 16, interview on Boston Public Radio, addressing the rapper’s removal from the stadium tour after his onstage remarks supporting Palestinians and criticizing Israel’s war in Gaza.

“I know that, as a musician for 30 years, anytime we’ve gone on tour we’ve selected the bands that have opened for us — that’s brotherhood, sisterhood, that’s family,” Casey said. “You live or die with the people you bring on the road. They’re your people.”

The punk veteran added, “And the fact that Ed Sheeran took the knee, no matter what the cause is, and not stood with his fellow tour partner, just doesn’t, you know, sit right with me. And that’s not how Dropkick Murphys would operate.”

Macklemore was dropped from the Loop Tour after two shows. The trek’s U.S. promoter, Messina Touring Group, announced his removal on Sept. 14 amid growing calls for his departure, while Sheeran and his team were reportedly pressured by stadium owners on the tour, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft.

Casey noted that promoters should not dictate what artists say onstage, referencing Dropkick Murphys’ experience at the 2025 Rocklahoma Festival in Oklahoma, where the band made statements against the Trump administration.

“We said what we have to say onstage every night, and probably about 50 percent of the audience walked away,” Casey said. “And I was told immediately afterwards that angered the owner of the site, and I’m sure we won’t get invited back.”

The Dropkick Murphys frontman added that it is important for artists to stand by their beliefs.

“All the artists I loved as a kid, no matter what, it was that they stand by what they sing about,” he said. “Once you let that go, then you don’t have any worth in your music if you ask me.”

Following Macklemore’s exit, additional opening acts on Sheeran’s Loop Tour withdrew from their scheduled appearances, starting with Aaron Rowe. Finneas and Lukas Graham subsequently announced they would no longer perform on the trek.

Macklemore stated that he would donate his $1 million earnings from the Loop Tour to humanitarian organizations providing aid to Palestinians, and he challenged Kraft to match the contribution. The New England Patriots owner later responded that Sheeran had previously asked him to commit $2 million to humanitarian efforts.