British pop star Ed Sheeran took the stage alone in Philadelphia on Saturday, opening his concert with a direct address to fans about the controversy that has engulfed his Loop Tour — admitting he had made "mistakes" and declaring the situation in Gaza "catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate." The appearance at Lincoln Financial Field marked his first performance since rapper Macklemore was removed from the tour as a supporting act, triggering a wave of withdrawals from other artists.
The crisis began in early September when Macklemore, Sheeran's original U.S. opener, used a performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to deliver a pro-Palestinian speech, display images of destruction in Gaza, and lead the crowd in chants of "Free Palestine." Robert Kraft — a billionaire businessman and owner of the New England Patriots American football team, whose Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, was scheduled to host Sheeran concerts — subsequently pressured the tour to remove Macklemore, citing what he called antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Kraft, who is Jewish, accused the rapper of selectively ignoring Hamas's actions. Sheeran said the decision was ultimately made by tour promoters and venue owners, not by him, and that he had "spoken with venues at length all week to try to build a bridge" before Macklemore was dropped.
The fallout was swift. Irish folk band Beoga, Danish act Lukas Graham, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, and Finneas — the brother and longtime collaborator of Billie Eilish — all withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. Ticket prices for remaining shows reportedly fell sharply, with some seats available for as little as $32. Macklemore announced he would donate $1 million earned from the tour to Palestinian relief organisations and challenged Kraft to match the gift; Kraft and Sheeran have since each committed to donating $2 million, though the intended recipients have not been named.
Speaking from the stage, a visibly emotional Sheeran described the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 — in which around 1,200 people were killed in Israel — as "horrific," while condemning Israel's military campaign in Gaza, where more than 70,000 people have been killed according to Palestinian health authorities. He also highlighted what he called "systemic injustice" in the occupied West Bank. The remarks represented a marked shift from his position earlier in the week, when he had insisted his concerts were not a venue for political debate. "This is a humanitarian issue, and I can no longer hide how I feel about it," he told the crowd. He also expressed deep concern about venues pre-approving artists' speech, saying: "This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world."
The concert proceeded before a near-capacity crowd, with a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the stadium. Audience reactions to Sheeran's remarks were broadly positive, with fans describing his words as honest and balanced. The tour is scheduled to continue across North and South America. The episode has thrown into sharp relief the tension between commercial pressures in the live music industry and artists' freedom of political expression — a debate that shows little sign of subsiding.