Ed Sheeran Books Two Openers for Remaining Loop Tour Dates

Ed Sheeran has booked two new opening acts for the remaining stadium dates of his Loop Tour, filling support slots that have sat empty since a string of departures reshaped the tour's lineup, according to Digital Music News.

Isaac Slade, the former frontman of The Fray, opened for Ed Sheeran in Indianapolis on October 10 and is scheduled to return for three more shows: Charlotte on October 17, Arlington on October 24 and Tampa on November 7. Slade announced the run on Instagram with a brief message for fans: "See you out there." Brooks Rosser, a finalist from Season 24 of American Idol, also performed at the Indianapolis date at Lucas Oil Stadium. Rosser said the gig was his first show since the competition and that he was "beyond excited and grateful," as reported by Reality Tea.

Who Ed Sheeran Booked for the Remaining Dates

Slade, 45, is no stranger to Ed Sheeran's stage. He first surprised fans by joining Sheeran at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 3, stepping in as an emergency opener. The pair also performed together in late August in Toronto, where they sang The Fray's 2005 hit "How to Save a Life" side by side, according to Digital Music News. Slade's new commitment makes him the primary opening act for the rest of the United States stadium run, with dates set for Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Rosser, 23, reached the Top 7 on American Idol's twenty-fourth season earlier this year. His Indianapolis booking puts him on a stadium bill alongside Ed Sheeran, one of pop's biggest live draws, and Slade's four-date commitment gives the remaining U.S. stadium shows a defined support lineup for the first time in weeks. Sheeran's October 29 and 30 shows at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, remain standalone casino dates with no opening acts planned, as reported by Digital Music News.

How the Loop Tour Lineup Changed

The shakeup began in September, when Macklemore was removed from the tour after making pro-Palestine remarks during his set at a New Jersey stadium stop. Macklemore said Ed Sheeran told him that Robert Kraft, the owner of Massachusetts' Gillette Stadium, had said the rapper would not be allowed to perform at his venue, and that Kraft had rallied other stadium owners behind a shared ultimatum: "if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues," Macklemore wrote on Instagram.

Ed Sheeran confirmed that account of the pressure in his own statement, saying he had spoken with Kraft in an effort to "build a bridge." He said the venues' decision was final and that the tour's promoter agreed to remove Macklemore from the lineup. Ed Sheeran has said the call was made by the promoter and the venues, not by him personally — a point he has repeated while the fallout continues, as reported by the Bury Times.

In protest of the decision to remove Macklemore, the rest of the supporting lineup walked away. Finneas, Lukas Graham, Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Sheeran's backing band Beoga all withdrew from the remaining dates in solidarity with the rapper. That left Ed Sheeran performing solo at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, a stretch he later addressed onstage. According to Reality Tea, Ed Sheeran told the Philadelphia crowd the situation had left him feeling "abandoned" as people around the tour stepped away. Two scheduled Boston shows at Gillette Stadium were ultimately canceled due to inclement weather, a separate development from the lineup dispute.

What Ticket Holders Can Expect

For fans holding tickets to the final stretch of the U.S. run, the picture is now clearer. Charlotte, Arlington and Tampa will each feature Slade as the opening act, giving those shows the kind of full support billing the tour originally carried. The Indianapolis date has already taken place with both Slade and Rosser on the bill. Fans attending the two Hollywood, Florida casino shows should expect a solo set with no opener.

There is a counterpoint worth holding in mind. Sheeran has maintained that he did not choose to drop Macklemore and that the promoter and venue owners made the final call. The acts who withdrew saw it differently: their departures were a direct protest of that decision. Both versions can be true at once — a lineup change made above the artist's head, answered by a walkout from the artists below him. The dispute has played out entirely in public statements, with no side accusing the other of fabrication.

Beyond Tampa on November 7, the tour continues through Latin America, with dates in Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico still to come. No supporting acts have been announced for those shows, as reported by the Bury Times. For now, the newly booked openers steady a tour that spent the past month rebuilding its lineup in public — one Instagram announcement at a time. Read more in the music section.

Sources: Digital Music News, Reality Tea, Bury Times.