Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict at his first show since removing Macklemore as his opening act due to his vocal support of Palestine while performing.
The “Shape of You” singer opened his show at Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia tonight (September 19) by taking a moment to address the current controversy surrounding his current Loop tour. The gig marked the first show since the removal of Macklemore and other opening support acts—FINNEAS, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Row— dropping out in solidarity with the “Downtown” hitmaker. There were no new openers added to the tour.
“This is not usually how I would open the show, but before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” he told the audience (per Rolling Stone). “I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised. I’m not surprised that other people don’t. 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 continued: “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. My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.”
Macklemore was dropped from the rest of Sheeran’s US Loop tour after his speech in support of the Free Palestine movement while opening at MetLife Stadium on September 4. During his set, the Grammy Award-winning musician shared that he wanted Palestinians to know that “they have not been forgotten” and added: “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
Sheeran addressed the removal of Macklemore from the tour by revealing that the musician’s speech had angered Gillette Stadium owner and Blue Square Alliance Against Hate founder Robert Kraft.
Kraft then told Sheeran he would not permit Macklemore to perform at his stadium. Sheeran’s promoters summarily booted Macklemore from the tour, a decision Sheeran claimed he was “not complicit” in. He defended his historically apolitical stance: “I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.”
Now, during Sheeran’s show tonight, he shared that he is “deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performers,” adding: “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
He also addressed his political stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict after stating that he never wanted to be an “activist musician” or “political commentator,” but the assumptions being made about him by his fans and the fact that “this is a humanitarian issue” made him want to clear the air.
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” he said. “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.”
He concluded his statement by sharing how grateful he was that his fans were there with him and added that “This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone here can stand above people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they could all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope, and unity.”