Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour on Saturday night, speaking from the stage at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field during his first concert since the rapper was dropped from the trek.
“This is not usually an hourly moment in the show, but 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 top of Saturday’s 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.”
Saturday’s concert marked Sheeran’s first performance since a tumultuous week for the U.S. leg of his Loop Tour, which saw Macklemore removed from the remaining dates following the rapper’s onstage remarks in support of Palestinians during Sheeran’s Sept. 4 and 5 shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
During his MetLife performances, Macklemore spoke about the war in Gaza and the West Bank and told the stadium crowd “free Palestine.” His set also included “Hind’s Hall,” his 2024 protest song supporting Palestinians. The remarks drew criticism from some Jewish and pro-Israel organizations, including the Israeli-American Council, which called for Macklemore to be removed from the tour.
Messina Touring Group, the promoter behind the U.S. leg of the Loop Tour, subsequently announced that Macklemore would no longer appear on the remaining dates. The company said venues had informed the promoter that they would not allow concerts featuring Macklemore to proceed, a situation it said could have resulted in cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of ticket holders.
Sheeran addressed the decision in a statement earlier this week, stressing that Macklemore’s removal was made by the promoter and venues rather than by him.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran said, explaining that he had spoken with venues, promoters and activists in an attempt to find a resolution. “Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
Sheeran also said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” describing the suffering caused by the war as a “human tragedy,” while explaining that he has generally sought to keep his concerts focused on “unity, joy, escapism, love” rather than his own political views.
Macklemore responded to his removal in a lengthy statement of his own, saying that he and Sheeran had held “difficult conversations” in the aftermath of the MetLife shows. While expressing respect for Sheeran personally, the rapper challenged the singer’s preference for remaining publicly neutral and said he did not regret using the tour stage to speak in support of Palestinians. Macklemore has since said he will donate $1 million to Palestinian relief organizations.
The fallout quickly spread beyond Macklemore. Singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, who had been expected to support Sheeran on upcoming North American dates, both withdrew from the tour. Finneas, who was scheduled to join Sheeran for a run of South American dates later this year, also pulled out, while Irish folk group Beoga — longtime collaborators who had been performing as part of Sheeran’s live show — exited as well. All four cited Macklemore’s removal in announcing their decisions.
The Philadelphia date nevertheless proceeded as scheduled Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field, kicking off the next stretch of Sheeran’s U.S. stadium run.