Dropkick Murphys’ Ken Casey Criticizes Ed Sheeran Over His Treatment of Macklemore: ‘Doesn’t Sit Right’

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

The Dropkick Murphys frontman addressed the situation during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Wednesday (Sept. 16), discussing the rapper’s removal from the stadium tour after his onstage comments 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 just two shows, with the trek’s U.S. promoter, Messina Touring Group, announcing his removal on Sept. 14 amid growing calls for his departure. Sheeran and his team were also allegedly pressured by some stadium owners on the tour, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft.

Casey noted that promoters should not have a say in what artists say onstage, citing 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’s 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 removal, the remaining opening acts on Sheeran’s Loop Tour also dropped out of their scheduled performances, beginning with Aaron Rowe. Finneas and Lukas Graham later announced that they would no longer appear on the trek.

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