Ed Sheeran issued a tearful apology to fans at his Philadelphia concert Saturday night, following a week of chaos surrounding his tour, reports BritPanorama.
Sheeran found himself embroiled in controversy after his support act, rapper Macklemore, was dropped from the tour over pro-Palestinian remarks he made on stage. The fallout continued when Sheeran’s other opening acts withdrew, while protesters gathered outside Saturday’s show.
He opened his Lincoln Financial Field concert — part of his ongoing Loop tour — by addressing the criticism he’s received, saying, “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans.”
“I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics,” he continued. “But this is a humanitarian issue. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel, and at the music festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,” the “Shape of You” singer stated.
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian lives and loss of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfolding in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
Sheeran — in his first public statement since his Instagram post addressing Macklemore’s firing — also emphasized that honoring his commitment to fans is “completely central to who I am.”
“And that is why I’m here tonight, on my own, and continuing my current tour.”
The concert, originally scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET, was pushed to 8 p.m. after Sheeran’s openers quit. Ticket prices, meanwhile, plummeted on resale sites.
Earlier this week, Macklemore announced that he had been dropped as the support act for the remainder of Sheeran’s U.S. tour dates, claiming that the singer told him that Robert Kraft — the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium — had personally called to say that he would not be allowed to perform at the venue.
Hours after Sheeran declared he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war and that the decision to remove Macklemore was “the promoter’s decision,” Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas announced on Instagram that they were withdrawing from the tour.
Rowe was one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band. Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.
Amid the backlash over Macklemore’s firing, the rapper announced on social media that he would donate $1 million in net earnings from his appearances on Sheeran’s tour to organizations aiding Palestinians, while challenging Kraft to match the sum.
Kraft and Sheeran then each pledged $2 million toward humanitarian relief for Palestinians.
Still, the controversy escalated to the point where protesters showed up Saturday night outside of Lincoln Financial Field, chanting, per TMZ, “F*** your concert, f*** your fans. Palestine is our demand.”
Sheeran is next scheduled to perform September 25 at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.
