Ed Sheeran has brought on two musicians to replace his former opening acts who quit his Loop Tour after his controversy with Macklemore.
Last weekend, the musician added The Fray’s former lead singer Isaac Slade as an opener for his Atlanta show, after performing in Philadelphia without any supporting acts.
On Thursday, Slade confirmed via Instagram he will also open for the rest of Sheeran’s US shows.
“See you out there. ♥️” he captioned the announcement.
“American Idol” contestant Brooks Rosser will serve as the second opening act. Rosser will join Sheeran at the Indianapolis show.
Rosser, who was a contestant on “American Idol” Season 24 earlier this year, revealed the news on via Instagram Thursday.
“My first show since American Idol, and it’s at Lucas Oil Stadium opening for @teddysphotos ❤️ I’m beyond excited and grateful. See you Saturday!”
As Page Six previously reported, Sheeran’s former opening acts, Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and backing band Beoga quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper performed at two Loop Tour shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium last month, during which, he shouted “Free Palestine” and performed his song “Hind’s Hall.”
Days later, Sheeran’s touring partners announced that Macklemore had been removed from the tour after Jewish NFL owner Robert Kraft and other venues threatened to cancel upcoming shows featuring the rapper.
Macklemore also shared that he and Sheeran had a private and “painful disagreement” about his removal and claimed that the “Shape of You” singer was given an “ultimatum” from Kraft and other stadium owners to fire him.
After facing criticism over how he handled the situation, Sheeran said during his Sept. 19 show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field that he had been “making mistakes” and was “so, so sorry” for how it unfolded.
Sheeran also implemented drastic safety measures at his following concerts because he was “afraid of what might happen.”
The US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour is scheduled to wrap Nov. 7 at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. He will then head to Latin America before ending the tour Dec. 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes.
As for Macklemore, he announced that he and special guests will be traveling overseas for the “Free Palestine Tour.”
