Ed Sheeran is suddenly short on openers. His original support act, Macklemore, was dropped after the “Thrift Shop” artist made pro-Palestine statements during a performance, and the rest of the opening acts followed him out. That left Sheeran’s “LOOP” tour without anyone to play before him. Now a guitar store thinks it has a fix: let strangers audition for the job.
Guitar Center launched an open-audition contest on August 19th, asking unknown artists to apply to open for Sheeran. The application page remains live and active. Scroll down to see some folks already taking the opportunity to troll Sheeran with both pointed and silly entries.
The Macklemore Split
Sheeran originally booked Macklemore as his support act. The decision came under pressure, and Sheeran caved to it. During a performance, Macklemore made pro-Palestine statements, which triggered the split. The rest of the opening acts subsequently dropped off in support of Macklemore.
That sequence of events left Sheeran without a backing band and without any openers at all. The “LOOP” tour now faces an uncertain future.
The Audition Contest
Guitar Center stepped in with a solution that is, frankly, ill-timed. The contest launched before the Macklemore situation broke, but the timing could not be worse. The store is inviting unknown artists to apply for a chance to open for Sheeran.
The page remains active. Some entries are clearly jokes. Others are pointed responses to the political controversy that caused the split in the first place.
Timeline of the Situation
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 19th | Guitar Center contest launches |
| After the performance | Macklemore makes pro-Palestine statements |
| After the performance | Macklemore is dropped |
| After the performance | Opening acts drop off in support of Macklemore |
| Present | Application page remains live and active |
Key Numbers
- Contest launched: August 19th
- Reason for split: Macklemore made pro-Palestine statements during a performance
- Result: All opening acts dropped off in support of Macklemore
- Current status: Application page remains live and active
The situation is absurd. A guitar store is holding an open audition for Sheeran’s opener, and the page is still up. The irony is rich.
For Sheeran, the question is simple: does he want a crowd-sourced opener, or does he want to sort this out the normal way? Either way, the Guitar Center contest is now part of the story.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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