Ed Sheeranof ring When the singer-songwriter took the stage in Philadelphia, the tour looked very different than fans expected.
On Saturday, September 19, multiple fan accounts revealed that that night’s show at Lincoln Financial Field would not include a B-stage.
Sheeran, 35, has traditionally spent part of his time on the secondary stage fulfilling fan requests. ring Concert tour. (As of press time, Philadelphia had not received any song requests.)
There’s no doubt it’s been a tumultuous week for Sheeran in the wake of the controversy surrounding her. McLemore was discarded as ring Tourism Support Act.
The “Same Love” rapper, 43, sparked controversy earlier this month when he opened for Sheeran at two concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, declaring “Free Palestine” while performing his own protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
Sheeran is said to be facing pressure from tour promoters and venue owners, including the owner of Gillette Stadium Robert Kraft – Keep Macklemore performing at upcoming shows. Macklemore was eventually sacked as one of Sheeran’s openers on Monday, September 14.
“Ed Sheeran and his team have decided to remove me from ring travel. I’m not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim,” McLemore wrote in a statement on Monday. “We have careers, money, opportunity, security and an audience around the world. No matter the consequences of our words, we can go home to our families. “
The hip-hop star added: “[Ed] Told me that the words “Free Palestine” and the image of the Palestinian flag hurt many people he spoke to. I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship don’t disappear just because of a painful disagreement. I hope that both of us will continue to listen, study what is happening in Palestine, and think about what it means to be neutral in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continue this conversation. “
Ed Sheeran and Macklemore perform on stage during the 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMediaOn Tuesday, September 15, Sheeran broke his silence on the brewing scandal, denying that he personally decided to remove Macklemore from eight scheduled concerts.
“I have been in lengthy conversations with venues all week trying to build a bridge. … I have been trying to build a bridge this week and find a solution, but unfortunately, I have been unable to do so,” Sheeran wrote in a statement. “I know who I am as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values.”
Macklemore donates $1 million to continue his advocacy ring Touring salaries for Palestinian organizations. He asked Kraft, 85, to do the same — the New England Patriots owner later confirmed that he also donated $2 million to Sheeran to support humanitarian aid.
before saturday ring The tour stopped in Philadelphia, where fans were told the show would start at 8pm ET instead of the traditional 5:30pm show time. This change may have been caused by support actions Finneas and Lucas Graham Withdrew from the tour in solidarity with McLemore.
Ticket prices on the resale market also appeared to be taking a hit ahead of the Philadelphia show, with tickets going for $100 on Tuesday and dropping to $42 on Saturday.
Sheeran, for his part, opened the Philadelphia show with a lengthy statement about the events of the past week.
“This week, the criticism is about more important things and I have to accept it [it in] And to make difficult decisions, I made mistakes and I’m very sorry,” he told fans.
Sheeran said he was being thrust into “the middle of an important, heated debate” before denouncing the “horrific” violence on October 7, 2023, and the “catastrophic and unconscionable” loss of life in Gaza. (The United Nations reported in June that 20,000 children had been killed and more than 44,000 injured in the region since hostilities escalated on October 7, 2023.)
“I’m listening and learning. I don’t know enough [about the conflict],” he admitted.
Sheeran is next scheduled to play at Kraft-owned Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26.