Ed Sheeran won’t perform this weekend’s Loop Tour stops at Gillette Stadium, according to a new report.
The singer’s Friday and Saturday evening concerts at the Foxborough, Massachusetts, venue have been canceled, per TMZ — not because of his viral Macklemore drama but because of bad weather.
A rep for the stadium, home to the New England Patriots, told the outlet, “Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week.”
The “difficult decision” to call off the shows was made “due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend,” the statement continued, referencing the nor’easter expected to hit New England.
“The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority,” the spokesperson added, noting that fans can get refunds for their tickets.
The outlet reported on Thursday that the stage construction for the performances had been paused.
Sheeran’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Before the bad weather, the Grammy winner’s tour was already marred by controversy after all his openers — and his backing band — dropped out.
Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe did so as a mark of solidarity after Macklemore, 43, was axed from the tour due to his onstage comments about Palestine.
News broke of the “Thrift Shop” singer’s departure on Sept. 14, with him writing a lengthy statement via Instagram that specifically called out Gillette Stadium’s owner, Robert Kraft.
“Ed … told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” he claimed.
Sheeran elaborated on the situation on his social media, claiming he attempted to “find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.”
He insisted, “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
Sheeran made major changes to his set for subsequent shows, from pushing the start time back to removing the B stage due to fears of “things [being] thrown.”
The songwriter, who has lost nearly 500,000 Instagram followers amid the drama, tearfully issued an apology during last weekend’s Philadelphia show, saying, “I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that. … But this week, the criticism was about something much more important.”
Macklemore, meanwhile, announced Thursday that he will be embarking on a “Free Palestine Tour” overseas next month, with stops in Dublin, Paris and London.
While Kraft, 85, expressed a desire to sit down with Macklemore, we hear the rapper has yet to respond.
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