Ed Sheeran appeared emotionally taken aback as he made his first solo appearance in Philadelphia days after Macklemore’s controversy took over the internet.
The 35-year-old English singer-songwriter continued the Loop Tour at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, September 19, but without the opening acts and backing band, who withdrew after Macklemore’s removal over his pro-Palestinian stance.
Ahead of his performance, Sheeran opened the show with a message for his fans, addressing the “difficult decisions” he had to make over the previous week while extending his apologies.
“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” he said.
The Shape of You hitmaker continued, “I’m used to my music being criticised, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like myself, and to be honest, I’m not surprised that other people don’t. You know, it’s normal. But this week the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry.”
He also raised objections to the idea of venues dictating artists’ comments and statements during their respective performances.
“But I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performance. This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world,” Sheeran added.
Speaking about Gaza and Israel, he acknowledged the suffering on both sides, noting, “What happened in Israel at the No Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
Furthermore, the four-time Grammy winner shared that he had begun discussions with people “across the spectrum” about making a contribution to support those affected by the ongoing conflict.
Macklemore is set to donate $1 million in earnings from the Loop Tour to Palestinian relief organisations, as announced earlier this week.
According to Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, Sheeran later asked him to also donate $2 million to match his donation.
Toward the end of his speech, the Thinking Out Loud crooner stressed that he wants his concerts to be centered on “love, hope and unity.”
Ed Sheeran’s next stop
Ed Sheeran’s next stop on his Loop Tour is on Friday, September 25, 2026, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
RELATED: