{"id":620880,"date":"2026-10-05T02:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T02:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/620880\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T02:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T02:56:09","slug":"ed-sheerans-surprise-guest-act-after-openers-quit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/620880\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Sheeran\u2019s surprise guest act after openers quit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Ed Sheeran enlisted The Fray frontman Isaac Slade as the surprise guest act for his Atlanta concert Saturday \u2013 weeks after Macklemore was axed from the tour following his anti-Israel rant and his openers quit.<\/p>\n<p>Slade performed an abbreviated set which included hits How to Save a Life and You Found Me before Sheeran took the stage at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody seems to be taking sides in this world and that\u2019s good,\u201d Slade said onstage, according to <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/search?q=Ed%20Sheeran%20isaac%20slade&amp;src=typed_query\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">clips on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s happening over there [in Gaza] is wrong but if we\u2019re going to get through it, we\u2019re going to need people to step into that middle place, that common ground,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat bonfire in the middle of the field that sees both sides, that understands that peace is not a lack of conflict. Peace is not a blank canvas that we need to guard and be polite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Peace] holds enough beauty, enough tragedy, enough sorrow, enough joy and life if we learn how to integrate it and hold each other in balance. We will find a way through this together,\u201d Slade added.<\/p>\n<p>Mercedes-Benz Stadium teased Slade\u2019s appearance Saturday in a \u201cKnow Before You Go\u201d post on Instagram, listing a \u201cspecial guest\u201d before Sheeran\u2019s 8pm performance.<\/p>\n<p>He previously joined Sheeran onstage during a Loop Tour concert in Toronto in August. Sheeran has credited The Fray as an influence on his early career.<\/p>\n<p>Slade, who co-founded The Fray, left the band in 2022 to focus on his mental health after experiencing a series of onstage panic attacks. He launched his first solo tour in December 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Sheeran has performed several recent Loop Tour shows without a traditional opening act after Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and backing band Beoga quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.<\/p>\n<p>The Thrift Shop rapper performed at two Loop Tour shows at New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium last month, wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh around his neck as he shouted \u201cFree Palestine\u201d and performed his song Hind\u2019s Hall.<\/p>\n<p>Days later, Sheeran\u2019s touring partners announced that <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/entertainment\/music\/tours\/macklemore-claims-ed-sheeran-axed-him-from-tour-fed-up\/news-story\/e86d49d4fccc47b4a010a22de37e2292\" target=\"_blank\" data-tgev=\"event119\" data-tgev-container=\"bodylink\" data-tgev-order=\"e86d49d4fccc47b4a010a22de37e2292\" data-tgev-label=\"entertainment\" data-tgev-metric=\"ev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Macklemore had been removed from the tour<\/a> after Jewish NFL owner Robert Kraft and other venues threatened to cancel upcoming shows featuring the rapper.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"poster-img\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/e234cea642a9505b998cd771fe5ba46d\" data-sctrack=\"op-poster-img\" alt=\"\u2018Scary place\u2019: Ed Sheeran breaks down on stage\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sheeran\u2019s planned shows at Gillette Stadium were later cancelled because of bad weather.<\/p>\n<p>After facing criticism over how he handled the situation, Sheeran said during his September 19 show at Philadelphia\u2019s Lincoln Financial Field that he had been \u201cmaking mistakes\u201d and was <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/entertainment\/music\/tours\/ed-sheeran-breaks-down-in-tears-on-stage-after-addressing-macklemore-tour-fallout\/news-story\/ae9cf9700149e1cb84ea974b03a52822\" target=\"_blank\" data-tgev=\"event119\" data-tgev-container=\"bodylink\" data-tgev-order=\"ae9cf9700149e1cb84ea974b03a52822\" data-tgev-label=\"entertainment\" data-tgev-metric=\"ev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u201cso, so sorry\u201d for how it unfolded<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech on the most complex issue on the planet,\u201d Sheeran told fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[My music] has always been a safe space for everyone. That matters hugely to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonouring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am. That is why I\u2019m here tonight \u2014 on my own \u2014 continuing my own tour,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>The US leg of Sheeran\u2019s Loop Tour is scheduled to wrap November 7 at Tampa\u2019s Raymond James Stadium. He will then head to Latin America before ending the tour December 11 at Mexico City\u2019s Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, country singer Zach Bryan wore a \u201cFree Palestine\u201d shirt during his concert at Kraft\u2019s Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Friday night.<\/p>\n<p>Several members of his band also wore clothing supporting Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>This article originally appeared in <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2026\/10\/04\/entertainment\/ed-sheeran-enlists-the-fray-frontman-isaac-slade-as-suprise-act-in-atlanta-after-macklemore-controversy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Page Six<\/a> and was reproduced with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ed Sheeran enlisted The Fray frontman Isaac Slade as the surprise guest act for his Atlanta concert Saturday&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[305588,270765,305590,305576,305589,305569,305632,305570,305612,305619,305620,6450,305625,305628,305630,305606,305624,290642,294537,305609,280572,274198,305566,305583,278962,74781,305629,305591,305638,642,305610,305602,46520,290068,77437,39426,6150,305616,3054,305621,305568,291297,12564,305618,305631,305577,305598,156,9517,150739,305614,299578,24267,4999,16945,305611,211366,305593,305636,305572,305607,305597,305600,305578,305581,305579,305580,305633,305637,4508,4791,305626,297188,52602,23711,424,18619,296048,305586,305594,5002,35768,38504,48016,157,305573,271341,305622,273448,305596,574,111,139,305608,305617,69,305613,141345,305599,91775,305605,305592,2892,384,6583,100734,1534,305567,305601,305615,13974,26887,93902,305635,1414,137770,9345,5433,305574,47642,305627,305634,305603,86512,295314,305582,305571,221308,305595,281107,305585,262450,271727,305587,305584,280557,5911,5130,208,305623,305604,305575],"class_list":["post-620880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-s-8pm-performance-he","tag-s-appearance","tag-s-estadio-ciudad-de-los-deportes-meanwhile","tag-s-gillette-stadium","tag-s-hall-days","tag-s-lincoln-financial-field","tag-s-loop-tour","tag-s-metlife-stadium","tag-s-planned-shows","tag-s-raymond-james-stadium","tag-s-touring-partners","tag-6450","tag-a-free-palestine-shirt","tag-a-special-guest","tag-a-black-and-white-keffiyeh","tag-a-blank-canvas","tag-a-heartfelt-moment","tag-a-lack","tag-a-life","tag-a-loop-tour-concert","tag-a-safe-space","tag-a-series","tag-a-surprise-guest-opener","tag-a-traditional-opening-act","tag-a-way","tag-aaron-rowe","tag-an-abbreviated-set","tag-an-important","tag-an-influence","tag-august","tag-backing-band-beoga","tag-bad-weather-after","tag-balance","tag-both-sides","tag-clips","tag-clothing","tag-conflict","tag-country-singer-zach-bryan","tag-criticism","tag-december-11","tag-december-2025-sheeran","tag-each-other","tag-ed-sheeran","tag-enough-beauty","tag-enough-joy","tag-enough-sorrow","tag-enough-tragedy","tag-entertainment","tag-fans","tag-finneas","tag-foxborough","tag-free-palestine","tag-freedom","tag-friday","tag-gaza","tag-gillette-stadium","tag-hind","tag-his-anti-israel-rant","tag-his-atlanta-concert","tag-his-band","tag-his-concert","tag-his-controversial-remarks","tag-his-early-career-slade","tag-his-first-solo-tour","tag-his-loop-tour-weeks","tag-his-mental-health","tag-his-neck","tag-his-openers","tag-his-song","tag-hits","tag-instagram","tag-jewish-nfl-owner-robert-kraft","tag-kraft","tag-last-month","tag-latin-america","tag-life","tag-lukas-graham","tag-macklemore","tag-macklemore-fiasco","tag-macklemore-the-thrift-shop-rapper","tag-massachusetts","tag-mercedes-benz-stadium","tag-mexico-city","tag-mistakes","tag-music","tag-my-commitment","tag-my-fans","tag-my-music","tag-my-own","tag-my-own-tour","tag-new-jersey","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-night-several-members","tag-november-7","tag-nz","tag-onstage-panic-attacks","tag-openers","tag-other-venues","tag-page-six","tag-palestine-this-article","tag-passionate-argument","tag-peace","tag-people","tag-philadelphia","tag-rocker","tag-saturday","tag-saturday-weeks","tag-september-19-show","tag-several-recent-loop-tour-shows","tag-sheeran","tag-sides","tag-slade","tag-slade-added-mercedes-benz-stadium","tag-social-media","tag-solidarity","tag-speech","tag-stage","tag-surprise-guest-act","tag-tampa","tag-that-bonfire","tag-that-common-ground","tag-that-middle-place","tag-the-band","tag-the-field","tag-the-fray","tag-the-fray-frontman-isaac-slade","tag-the-middle","tag-the-most-complex-issue","tag-the-planet","tag-the-rapper-ed-sheeran","tag-the-situation","tag-the-stage","tag-the-surprise-guest-act","tag-the-tour","tag-this-world","tag-tonight","tag-toronto","tag-tour","tag-two-loop-tour-shows","tag-upcoming-shows","tag-us-leg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-j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