Ed Sheeran admits he ‘made mistakes’ over Macklemore controversy
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Ed Sheeran has admitted he “made mistakes” at his first show since controversy erupted surrounding Macklemore being dropped from his tour over his on-stage support for Palestine.
Sheeran’s concert at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field is his first since the controversy, which saw every opening act on the tour publicly declare that they would be dropping out, forcing Sheeran to go ahead as the only performer on the line-up.
Fans are demanding ticket refunds, after Macklemore was dropped from the Loop Tour and all support acts pulling out. Getty/Theo Wargo
“I never wanted to be an activist musician but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran said.
He admitted to making “mistakes” whilst grappling with “difficult decisions” and said that he is committed to his concerts being “a safe space for everyone.”
Reports from attendees say that there were a number of empty seats in the stadium, with tickets for the show being resold for as little as $45.
“Now, I want to address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand,” Sheeran continued.
“I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics.
“But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable of this proportion. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives.
“And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked. I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times and listening and learning because I do not know enough.”
Ed Sheeran fought back tears as he thanked fans for their support. Instagram/teddysphotos
Sheeran began to tear up as he thanked fans who had showed up, saying his concerts are a place where all are welcome.
“Everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone here can stand by people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope and unity,” he said.
Sheeran didn’t address the mass exodus of his opening acts, but introduced a new support, violinist Alicia Enstrom who also toured with him last year.
Sheeran later told fans he had chosen to remove his second stage in the crowd B-stage for “safety reasons”.
“I didn’t know what this audience would be like tonight,” he said.
“I didn’t know if I would have things thrown at me. I didn’t know if people would be angry at me.
“So Philly, I apologise that today is not the usual Loop show. I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle.”
Protesters have gathered outside Lincoln Financial Field ahead of Ed Sheeran’s concert. Allie Ippolito
A few hours ahead of the show around 100 pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the stadium.
Jodi Rhoden, an attendee and organiser at Writers Against the War in Gaza told Variety the protest is “much bigger than Ed Sheeran”.
“It’s a movement for Palestinian lives, and it’s not going to stop until Palestine is free,” she said.
“You can see that with the way that Ed Sheeran fans are reacting, and the way that people are rallying behind that for more. It seems like we’ve really hit a tipping point, and public opinion has changed.”
Macklemore opened for two of Brit Sheeran’s New Jersey shows in September, where he performed his 2024 pro-Palestinian protest song Hind’s Hall and called for a “Free Palestine” as he displayed footage from Gaza.
Within days it was announced that Macklemore would no longer be opening for Sheeran on the remaining dates of the tour, with reports that several stadiums had said they would not allow the concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the line-up.
Macklemore performed at two shows of Sheeran’s tour, before it was announced that he would not be joining for the remaining dates. Getty
Macklemore later claimed that New England Patriot’s owner, Robert Kraft, was behind the decision.
Kraft owns Gillette Stadium where the rapper was scheduled to open for Sheeran on September 25 and 26.
Macklemore alleged that Kraft rallied other stadium owners to threaten to cancel tour dates if he wasn’t dropped from the lineup.
Sheeran made a statement claiming that the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour was made by the tour promoter and venues, with him having no say in the decision.
The pair had been friends for more than a decade, even releasing a song together in 2015. Getty
One by one, Sheeran’s other tour openers announced that they had chosen to drop out of the tour, with Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga all showing support for Macklemore and Palestine
The start time of Sheeran’s first show following the controversy was pushed from 5.30pm to 8pm, with no opening acts on the line-up.
