At his Philadelphia show on September 19, Ed Sheeran was not so happy one week ago that he had to address a rocky week in all that was happening around his tour, including the fallout from the Macklemore opening act and the more broad controversy over political statement at concerts.
While playing at the Lincoln Financial Field Sheeran apologized to fans during the trouble, stating that he had messes up. Sheeran stated that he had made the difficult decision and he apologized that it all happened. The singer broke down crying during the emotional statement before continuing the show.
The disagreement started when Macklemore reportedly made comments favoring Palestinians at a show in September earlier this year. He addressed the situation in Gaza and then performed “Hind’s Hall, ” a protest tune, with several venues related to Sheeran’s North American Loop tour apparently voicing their opposition to Macklemore being involved. Macklemore was then pulled from the schedule.
The decision caused additional disruption to Sheeran’s tour in the form of additional cancellations by other supporting acts. At other concerts Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe departed, and Sheeran’s support band Beoga also departed. The band indicated in a statement that the staff were leaving in solidarity with Macklemore over issues of freedom of expression.
Sheeran had previously claimed that who was on the show was not his decision, but that of the tour promoter and venues. About the Philadelphia show where Macklemore was absent, he reiterated how hard it was to manage the situation and said he was worried venues had an impact on what artists could say on stage.
The singer has also spoken out about the humanitarian situation in Gaza – a stark contrast to his previous attempts to avoid having his concerts political. I wanted my shows to be about unity and about who we are as human beings, Sheeran said, but I think the situation in Gaza is a humanitarian issue and I did not want to avoid talking about it anymore.
He also strongly condemned the October 7 attack in Israel and highlights the heavy civilian toll and destruction in Gaza while calling it catastrophic, unjustified and disproportionate destruction but highlighting the suffering caused by the conflict.
Sheeran’s remarks followed numerous protesters who assembled outside the venue in Philadelphia demonstrating how the rancor over the tour had snowballed well beyond it. The debate surrounding the tour has brought to the fore larger debate about the line between music and political speech, the policies of venues and artists’ ability to communicate during shows.
Another strange aspect of the Philadelphia show was that Sheeran performed solo onstage, rather than with the different opening acts and musicians that had been scheduled to perform earlier in the tour. Even so, Sheeran pressed on through the show and showed his appreciation for the fans who had been there to see him.
The episode has thrust Sheeran into a bizarre role, after years of largely steering clear of politics at his shows. While giving his Philly insights on the flap surrounding Macklemore was not going to settle the dispute, it was his most explicit attempt yet to publicly explain his perspective on the matter and linked humanitarian tragedy.
Now, as the Loop tour is rolling on, Wednesday’s Philadelphia concert has emerged as the defining episode of the controversy, with Sheeran tearfully apologizing and making his first deep dive into Gaza and Macklemore-related issues.
