Ed Sheeran took the stage at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field to resume his tour, which earlier this week became embroiled in a clash over free speech and support for the Palestinian cause. Taking a darkened stage, he said he had made “mistakes” during the week and apologized for disappointing fans.
“I’ve tried in my career to not be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics,” he said. “But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”
He called the Oct. 7 Hamas attack “horrific.” “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank, it cannot be overlooked.”
Sheeran’s emotions welled as he told the audience: “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 beside people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs.”
Sheeran performed without an opening act, and the show’s start time was pushed back two hours.
The statement came days after Macklemore, who had been an opening act, was dropped from the tour after saying “Free Palestine” onstage before performing a protest song at two concerts this month. The tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, dropped Macklemore after several venues said they would not allow him to perform.
Robert Kraft, whose company owns the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium outside Boston, acknowledged in a statement on Monday that he would not “provide a platform for hate speech,” pointing to what he called a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” by Macklemore “that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
Four supporting acts, including Finneas and Beoga, Sheeran’s backing band, withdrew from the tour on Tuesday in solidarity with Macklemore. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” wrote Finneas, the brother and collaborator of Billie Eilish. He added, “I stand with Palestine and its people.”
On Saturday, Sheeran expressed concern about venues requiring performers to get their content approved in advance. “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world,” he said, “but it should never happen in the free world.”
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