Ed Sheeran will perform Friday and Saturday in Foxborough as part of his Loop Tour.
Recording artist Macklemore, left, and Ed Sheeran, right. AP Photo
Instead of an opening act, Ed Sheeran’s Saturday concert at Gillette Stadium will be preceded by a pro-Palestinian protest — not sanctioned by the musician — outside the Foxborough venue.
The nonprofit Massachusetts Peace Action plans to hold the protest from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, ahead of Sheeran’s scheduled 5:30 p.m. performance. Sheeran is also expected to perform at Gillette Stadium on Friday as part of his Loop Tour.
The protest is in response to Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft’s role in the decision to bar Macklemore from performing at the venue after the rapper made pro-Palestinian remarks during a Sept. 5 concert in New Jersey, said Executive Director Brian Garvey.
“When a billionaire has this much economic and political influence, his personal decisions can have an outsized effect on public debate and who gets access to major public platforms,” Garvey said in a statement to Boston.com.
The controversy has already reshaped Sheeran’s tour.
After Sheeran posted on social media Sept. 15 about Macklemore’s removal and attributed the decision to the tour’s promoters, several scheduled opening acts announced they were leaving the tour.
Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator, each said on Instagram that they would no longer participate.
Sheeran addressed the controversy during his Saturday concert in Philadelphia. He said he wants his music and shows to focus on unity and humanity — rather than politics — while also condemning the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel and calling the situation in Gaza “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 said during his performance.
Sheeran began the Philadelphia concert alone on stage without an opening act, although other musicians joined him later in the show. Before the concert, a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators congregated outside the Lincoln Financial Field.
The planned protest outside of Gillette Stadium is also tied to broader criticism of Kraft’s public involvement in debates surrounding Israel and Palestine, Garvey said.
“Our concern is that enormous private wealth can translate into enormous influence over elections, public debate, and ultimately American foreign policy,” he said.
Tickets remain available for both of Sheeran’s concerts this weekend. Ticketmaster listings showed substantially more tickets available for Friday than Saturday, although both appear to have many spots still open as of Tuesday night.
Fans on social media have reported receiving full refunds through Ticketmaster, with one Reddit user sharing they used the “chat” feature on the platform to successfully request a refund for Saturday’s show.
No official refund policy was announced for the concert. Ticketmaster said event organizers determine the concert’s refund policy.
The communications teams for Sheeran, Kraft, and the stadium did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday afternoon.
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