Ed Sheeran opened his concert in Philadelphia on Saturday, 19 September, by addressing the war in Gaza and the controversy that engulfed his tour following Macklemore’s removal as his US supporting act.
Appearing alone before a nearly full Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran said he wanted his music and concerts to represent unity and humanity rather than politics. However, he described the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel as horrific and the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable”.
“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran told the audience.
Supporting acts abandon Sheeran’s tour
The turbulent week began when Macklemore was removed from the tour after saying “Free Palestine” during a 5 September performance in New Jersey.
Sheeran said he was not responsible for the decision, attributing it instead to pressure from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Kraft’s company owns the stadium where Sheeran had been scheduled to perform on Friday.
Within hours of Sheeran issuing a statement last Tuesday, other supporting artists began withdrawing from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Irish folk band Beoga, which had been joining Sheeran for several songs at each Loop Tour stop, pulled out. Macklemore’s replacements, Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe, subsequently withdrew as well.
Finneas, the musician and producer known for his work with his sister Billie Eilish, also abandoned plans to join Sheeran’s South American tour later in the year.
Sheeran began Saturday’s Philadelphia concert without an opening performer, although other musicians joined him later in the show. The singer regularly performs many of his songs alone using his looping equipment.
Macklemore challenges Kraft over Gaza donation
Macklemore announced last Wednesday that he would donate $1 million towards Palestinian relief efforts and challenged Kraft to match the contribution.
A spokesperson for Kraft later said that the billionaire and Sheeran had each agreed to donate $2 million. Neither man specified where the money would be directed.
Sheeran’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests from the Associated Press for clarification about the proposed donation.
Onstage, Sheeran told concertgoers that people with opposing opinions would always be welcome at his shows and could come together through songs about “love, hope and unity”.
He also expressed concern about venues demanding advance approval of artists’ performances.
“This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world,” Sheeran said.
His comments represented a notable shift from his position earlier in the week, when he insisted he would not be drawn into discussing the war because fans did not attend his concerts to hear political commentary.
Sheeran said he had spoken extensively with the venues throughout the week in an effort to “build a bridge” before Macklemore was removed. He also said he would not willingly disappoint his fans or abandon the touring staff and other workers who depend on the concerts for their livelihoods.
Protesters gather outside Philadelphia concert
A small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators assembled outside Lincoln Financial Field before Saturday’s performance.
Hillary Steinberg, 34, told the Associated Press that she had purchased tickets a year earlier but obtained a refund and attended the demonstration instead.
“I was, until this week, a big Ed Sheeran fan,” Steinberg said. “I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice — even though he was saying that he wasn’t complicit — is a political choice.”
Diane Savitz, 53, from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, attended the concert and defended Sheeran, arguing that a musical performance was not the appropriate setting for political debate.
“A concert should be for people enjoying the music. Music should bring people together,” Savitz said. “Everyone has their right to freedom of speech, but not every platform is the place for it.”
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