Ed Sheeran spoke publicly for the first time about the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his tour, addressing the crowd at the opening of his show at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
The controversy began after NFL owner Robert Kraft told Sheeran he did not want Macklemore to appear at Gillette Stadium, citing concerns about antisemitism. Macklemore was subsequently dropped from other venues on the tour as well.
In response, several other performers withdrew from Sheeran’s tour in protest. Singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, both expected to support Sheeran on upcoming North American dates, pulled out. Finneas, who was scheduled to join Sheeran for South American dates later this year, also withdrew, as did the Irish folk group Beoga, longtime collaborators who had been performing as part of Sheeran’s live show. All four cited Macklemore’s removal from the tour in announcing their decisions.
At Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran apologized to fans before performing. “I’m not surprised that this week’s criticism was about something much more important,” he said. “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans.”
He went on to explain his reluctance to speak on political matters. “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,” Sheeran said.
“But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel and at the Nome Museum Festival on Oct. 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate. Our hearts can be 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 cannot be overlooked.”
Sheeran said he was in discussions with people “across the spectrum” about how to help those affected. “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,” he said.
He then told the audience he wanted to return to songs about “love, hope, and unity” before continuing the show.
Sheeran’s tour is continuing despite the departures of Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas and Beoga.
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