Ed Sheeran in Indianapolis with new opening acts: Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser to perform on October 10
British musician Ed Sheeran will perform at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, in the US state of Indiana, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, with a revised lineup of artists opening the concert. According to the schedule published on his official website, the audience will see Isaac Slade, the former lead singer and one of the founders of the American band The Fray, and Brooks Rosser, known for his participation in the television competition American Idol. Their participation was confirmed shortly before the show, following several weeks of uncertainty surrounding the musical lineup of the Loop Tour. The change comes after rapper Macklemore was removed from the opening-act lineup and other musicians who had publicly expressed support for him withdrew. Although the Indianapolis concert is going ahead as planned, the circumstances surrounding the formation of the new lineup have attracted attention far beyond the usual announcements of stadium performances.
New lineup officially confirmed for Indianapolis
Sheeran's official website lists Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser as the artists performing before the main show on October 10. The confirmation is significant because earlier concert advertisements and some local event calendars still featured the originally announced names, including Macklemore, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe. Visitors who purchased tickets earlier should therefore not expect the same lineup presented in the initial promotional campaign. The new schedule does not change the identity of the headlining artist, the venue or the concert date, but it does provide a different musical introduction to the evening. The exact duration of the individual opening performances is not specified equally clearly in all publicly available concert announcements.
Slade has not been booked for just one evening. According to the published schedule, he will also perform on October 17 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, October 24 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and November 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. These are four confirmed US stadium dates at which the former frontman of The Fray will serve as an opening act. Sheeran's website does not list Slade for the two concerts in Hollywood, Florida, scheduled for October 29 and 30, so his involvement should not be equated with all the remaining US performances. Rosser, by contrast, has so far been explicitly confirmed for Indianapolis, and no additional dates for his participation have been officially announced.
Isaac Slade brings back the distinctive sound of The Fray
For audiences who followed American pop-rock in the early 2000s, Slade's name is associated with a series of internationally successful songs. As the singer and pianist of The Fray, he helped create a distinctive sound combining piano, guitar and emotional lyrics. The band's best-known songs include “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head (Cable Car)”, both of which achieved major success on the US charts. In a retrospective marking the twentieth anniversary of those hits, music magazine Billboard recalled that these singles were what brought the Denver band widespread recognition. Slade left the group in 2022 and subsequently developed his own musical projects, including solo performances.
His appearance on Sheeran's tour was not entirely a surprise that emerged only shortly before Indianapolis. Slade had already performed before Sheeran in Atlanta on October 3, providing the first clear indication that the organizers were seeking a new solution following the departure of the original opening acts. According to reports from that concert, he also performed material for which he is known from his time with The Fray and addressed tensions related to the war in Gaza from the stage. A few days later, he announced the dates of his upcoming guest appearances on the Loop Tour, turning what had been a temporary engagement into a series of performances announced in advance. However, no detailed setlist has been published for his Indianapolis appearance, so his repertoire cannot be considered confirmed beforehand.
Brooks Rosser set for major stages after American Idol
The second confirmed opening act, Brooks Rosser, belongs to a considerably younger generation of musicians. He became known to a wider American audience during the 24th season of American Idol, broadcast in 2026, when he advanced to the final seven contestants. His journey in the competition ended before the finale, but his television exposure created opportunities for new professional performances. In a statement reported by the British news agency PA, Rosser said that the Indianapolis concert would be his first performance since taking part in the show. He particularly emphasized his excitement at the prospect of singing in a large stadium as a guest at an Ed Sheeran concert.
For Rosser, this performance represents a different challenge from a television competition. Lucas Oil Stadium is primarily known as the home of the Indianapolis Colts of the American professional football league, the NFL, and the venue is also used for major concerts and other events. Performing before a stadium audience gives him an opportunity to introduce himself to people who may not have followed him on American Idol but who follow Sheeran's music. His inclusion in the program does not mean that he has become a permanent member of the tour: the official schedule currently lists him only for the October 10 concert. Details of his planned repertoire have not been released either, and for the audience, the most important information for now is the confirmation that he will perform alongside Slade before the headliner.
Why did Macklemore and the other opening acts leave the tour?
The changes began after Sheeran's concerts held on September 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. During his performances, American rapper Macklemore expressed support for Palestinians and spoke publicly about the suffering of people in Gaza and the West Bank. According to reports by Reuters and the Associated Press, his statements prompted reactions from sections of the public, including demands that he be removed from the remaining concerts. Among those opposing his continued participation was Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and a figure associated with the ownership group of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. In a public statement, Kraft also explained his opposition by citing concerns about what he considered to be previous antisemitic messages and imagery associated with the rapper, while Macklemore emphasized that his statements concerned Palestinian rights and criticism of the actions of the Israeli authorities.
On September 14, it became public that Macklemore would not continue as an opening act for the remaining US dates. Concert promoter Messina Touring Group said that certain stadiums had made the concerts conditional on his removal from the program, with the possibility of canceling the shows if he remained in the lineup. Sheeran addressed the matter on social media on September 15, stating that the decision had not been made by him personally but by the tour promoter. He also said that he had tried to mediate between the parties involved but that no agreement had been reached. His explanation did not end the debate over who bears responsibility for decisions on major tours and how much influence venue owners have over concert programs.
Shortly afterward, other artists also withdrew. Finneas, the American producer and musician, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham canceled their participation, while Irish group Beoga ended its collaboration as the tour's backing band. In their statements, they offered different explanations, but they shared support for Macklemore and opposition to the way he had been removed from the concert lineup. According to reporting by The Guardian and Reuters, these developments left Sheeran's tour without its previously planned opening acts and also without some of the musicians who had participated in his performances. As a result, the change in Indianapolis is not simply the usual replacement of one name on a poster, but the consequence of decisions affecting the entire concert production.
Sheeran continued the tour, while Massachusetts shows were canceled because of the weather
Sheeran performed in Philadelphia on September 19, for the first time since the wave of artist withdrawals. During the concert, he addressed the controversy, apologized for mistakes in how the situation had been handled and spoke about the humanitarian consequences of the war in Gaza. According to media reports, the performance took place with a modified program, without the previously announced opening acts. At the same time, the British singer sought to continue with the contracted concerts, explaining that audiences plan their attendance in advance and that the jobs of numerous crew members depend on the tour. This position further fueled debate between those who believe continuing the tour is a professional obligation and those demanding a clearer stance on Macklemore's removal.
Additional uncertainty arose from the cancellation of two concerts at Gillette Stadium, scheduled for September 25 and 26. However, the stadium management officially announced that the performances had been canceled because of warnings about dangerous weather conditions in Boston and the wider New England region, following consultations with local authorities. It is important to distinguish this official explanation from the earlier controversy over Macklemore's appearance at the same stadium. The cancellations were not presented as a consequence of the dispute involving the rapper, but as a safety decision related to the weather forecast. Sheeran subsequently continued his US tour in Atlanta, where Slade appeared as an opening act.
Meanwhile, Macklemore announced his own European mini-tour titled Free Palestine, with concerts in Dublin on October 26, Paris on October 29 and London on October 30. According to his announcements reported by the PA news agency, proceeds from these performances are intended for organizations helping Palestinians with healthcare, humanitarian aid and other forms of support. The rapper also announced that he would direct one million US dollars in income associated with Sheeran's tour to organizations providing assistance to Palestinians. The conflict over a single place in the concert lineup thus developed into a broader public debate about political expression by musicians, humanitarian engagement and the business decisions of major concert organizers. For the upcoming performances, however, Sheeran's team had to focus on the practical question of who would perform before the headliner.
What should visitors know about the concert at Lucas Oil Stadium?
The Indianapolis concert takes place on Saturday, October 10, at 500 South Capitol Avenue, in the central part of the city. According to the operational schedule published on the Lucas Oil Stadium website, the south parking lot opens at 8 a.m., the box office at 4 p.m., the gates for the audience at 5 p.m., and the concert program is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Indianapolis local time. Some ticket sales and information websites also list other times associated with the event, so the stated program start time should not automatically be interpreted as the moment Sheeran will take the stage. The performance times for Rosser and Slade have not been separately confirmed in the same way in the official schedule, so visitors wishing to hear them would be wise to plan an earlier arrival. Any potential changes to the gate and performance schedules should be followed through announcements from the stadium and organizers.
Lucas Oil Stadium publishes visitor rules concerning security screening and restrictions on bringing bags into the venue. Its guide states that the clear bag policy applies to events according to the promoter's decision, and recommends small bags and as few personal belongings as possible. The stadium also offers food and drinks at cashless concession stands, while information on accessibility and entrances is available in the official visitor guidelines. As this is a major concert in downtown Indianapolis, increased traffic and congestion can be expected on arrival and departure, particularly around the beginning and end of the program. Visitors are therefore advised to check the entrance indicated on their ticket, transportation options and rules for bringing items into the stadium in advance.
What comes next for the Loop Tour after Indianapolis?
The Loop Tour forms part of Sheeran's new concert phase following the conclusion of the Mathematics Tour and is also associated with the album “Play”, released in 2025. According to an announcement by his record label, the current performances are designed to feature a new stage production, songs from that album and well-known compositions from earlier periods of his career. The US schedule after Indianapolis includes Charlotte, Arlington, two concerts in Hollywood, Florida, and Tampa, where the last currently announced performance in the United States is scheduled for November 7. The tour then continues in South America, with dates in Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil, while a concert in Ciudad de México has been announced for December 11. Sheeran's official website does not currently list opening acts for those South American and Mexican performances comparable to those confirmed in Indianapolis.
The October 10 concert is therefore important for two reasons. For audiences in Indianapolis, it brings a rare combination of an experienced singer associated with The Fray's hits and a musician who recently gained recognition through television. For the organizers, it marks a return to a program with opening acts announced in advance after a period of sudden withdrawals and changes. That does not, however, mean that the debate over Macklemore's removal has ended or that all future performers on the tour have been determined. For now, what matters most to visitors for Saturday evening has been officially confirmed: Ed Sheeran will perform at Lucas Oil Stadium, preceded by Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser.
Sources:
- Ed Sheeran, official website – confirmed opening acts, dates and locations of the remaining concerts (link)
- Lucas Oil Stadium – official announcement of the Indianapolis concert, address and event schedule (link)
- The Independent / Press Association – announcements by Isaac Slade and Brooks Rosser and their performance schedules (link)
- Reuters – chronology of Macklemore's removal and the withdrawal of the earlier opening acts (link)
- Associated Press / ABC News – overview of the departure of four supporting acts from the tour (link)
- The Guardian – statements by those involved and artists' reactions to changes on the tour (link)
- Billboard – overview of Isaac Slade's musical career and the success of The Fray (link)
- People – final-round results of the 24th season of American Idol (link)
- Gillette Stadium – official explanation of the cancellation of two Sheeran concerts due to weather conditions (link)
- Atlantic Records – announcement of the Loop Tour and the album Play (link)
- Lucas Oil Stadium – visitor guide, security regulations and payment information (link)