Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey questions Ed Sheeran's handling of Macklemore removal

Boston public-radio interviewee Ken Casey, frontman of the Dropkick Murphys, criticized the removal of rapper Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after Macklemore voiced support for Palestinians and condemned Israel’s war in Gaza. Casey said that, after three decades on the road, “anytime we’ve gone on tour we’ve selected the bands that have opened for us — that’s brotherhood, sisterhood, that’s family. You live or die with the people you bring on the road. They’re your people.”

He added that Sheeran’s decision to “take the knee” on a cause and then not stand with his fellow tour partner “doesn’t sit right” with him, noting that the Dropkick Murphys would not operate that way. Casey argued that the promoter, not the artist, should not dictate who appears on stage, saying, “The promoter is not what the people come to see.”

Sheeran has said the removal was made by the promoter Messina Touring Group under pressure from venues, and Macklemore’s statement linked the decision to a campaign allegedly led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Casey recalled a past incident at the Rocklahoma Festival where the band’s outspoken criticism of the Trump administration led to audience members leaving and the venue owner expressing displeasure, suggesting that standing by one’s beliefs can carry professional risks.

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

Casey’s comments were met with applause during the taping.