Ed Sheeran returned to the stage Saturday night and addressed the fallout stemming from Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments during the Sept. 4 and 5 shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Sheeran took the stage alone at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday night after all of the tour’s supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore. The rapper was removed from the U.S. leg after several stadium owners notified tour promoter Messina Touring Group that they would not allow concerts with Macklemore on the lineup, according to the promoter.
Speaking to the crowd, Sheeran said he had never wanted to be an activist musician but felt compelled to address the controversy, including questions about his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict and concerns over venues pre-approving the content of artists’ performances.
“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” Sheeran said at the start the show. “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 I’ve even done it. You know, 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.”
You can watch the full speech in the video below.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
The singer then said the ordeal has caused him to reflect, and while he had chosen in the past not to “be a political commentator of any kind,” he could not hide how he felt any longer.
“What happened in Israel at the Nova music festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,” he said. “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. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
The remarks marked a significant shift for Sheeran, who had previously said he did not want his concerts to become political spaces. Earlier this week, he said Macklemore’s removal was the decision of the tour promoter and venues, not his own, and that he had spent the week attempting to find a solution that would allow the tour to continue.
Macklemore’s exit prompted all of Sheeran’s remaining supporting acts to withdraw from the tour. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga all announced that they would no longer participate in the remaining dates.
Macklemore has also pledged to donate his $1 million earnings from the tour to organizations supporting Palestinians. Sheeran subsequently contacted New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who had objected to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium, and asked him to match the donation with $2 million for humanitarian aid in the region, which he did.
Following his removal from the tour, Macklemore spoke out about how he felt Sheeran handled the controversy and further explained that his 13-year friendship with Sheeran “can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened,” despite considering him a brother and noting that his door remains open.
“Ed was in a f–ked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before,” Macklemore noted. “But he couldn’t get past his public-facing ‘I don’t take sides.’”
Currently, no new opening acts have been added to the Loop tour.
You can read Sheeran’s full statement below:
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 central to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour. “But I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performance. This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.
Now, I want to address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand. I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division—about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.
What happened in Israel at the Nova music festival on October 7th 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. And 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. “I honestly am so grateful that you’re here tonight with me. This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views. Everyone here can stand by people that they don’t agree with on everything, and they can all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope, and unity.