Ed Sheeran did not bring a feel-good opening act to Lincoln Financial Field Saturday (9/19). He brought an apology.
After a week of cancellations, departures and plenty of people wondering whether he would say anything at all about Palestine, the world’s softest, safest stadium pop star finally said it: Gaza is “catastrophic and unjustifiable.”
“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry for them,” Sheeran told the Philly crowd. “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.”
Sheeran called the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel “horrific,” then spoke of the scale of civilian death in Gaza. “My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” he said. The beloved singer insisted his concerts were supposed to be about “unity and humanity,” even though recently there has been a great divide in his universe.
It began with Macklemore, who had been booked as an opener on Sheeran’s Loop Tour. At MetLife Stadium on 9/4, the Seattle rapper spoke in support of Palestine, telling the crowd, “Free Palestine, free Cuba, the Congo, Sudan and Iran,” while images of Gaza and Palestinian solidarity were displayed on screens throughout his set.
This ticked off the wrong people and Macklemore was subsequently removed from the tour. Later he said he would donate the net proceeds from his run of dates to Palestinian aid organizations and challenged Robert Kraft to match his $1 million pledge.
Kraft, the billionaire New England Patriots owner and a leading negative figure in the response to Macklemore’s appearance, said Sheeran called him asking him to commit $2 million “to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.” Kraft said he did not want to diminish “the suffering of innocent Palestinians,” but also said he did not want to “obscure the responsibility of Hamas.”
Meanwhile others pointed the finger at Messina Touring Group, the US promoters who were allegedly behind Macklemore’s dismissal. In a statement to ABC News earlier this week they blamed the venues.
“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s US Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming US tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,” MTG wrote.
The blowback did not stop with Macklemore. Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Sheeran’s longtime Irish backing group Beoga all withdrew from the tour, publicly citing their support for Palestinians. Outside the stadium, demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted “Free, free Palestine” while fans filed in to see a show that was suddenly about much more than loop pedals and a soft spoken dude in a tee shirt playing 70,000-seat football palaces pretty much himself.
How enormous are these stadiums? The Loop Tour has sold approximately 754,000 tickets off its first 17 gigs this year, raking in around $100 million. This is at the root of why this battle is drawing so much attention: Sheeran has been one of the few artists who can fill stadiums across continents. Maybe not multiple nights like his bestie Taylor or even Beyonce. But he can pack houses everywhere he wants.
His problem is young audiences don’t mind being political about Palestine and expect guitarists to share in their activism. The question is can a 35 year old with a babyface stay apolitical while on the biggest stages on the globe? And also: should he be allowed to.
Sheeran, is famous for making massive shows feel almost DIY: one dude, a guitar, some loop pedals, and sweet songs you can sing along to and write on your folder during a boring class. Saturday, he tried to explain who he has always been.
“I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician,” he said, “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.”
Judging from the mixed reactions on social media, Ed’s apology did not completely solve his PR issue. Some were critical that he seemed to be reading his statement on stage, others were upset that it took him so long to address it, and others questioned his sincerity.
Not sure what more he can do. But expect more to come from this throughout the tour.
Last Setlist
Ed Sheeran at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA, 9/19
- Castle on the Hill
- Shivers
- The A Team
- Sapphire
- Don’t
- Eyes Closed
- I’m a Mess
- Take It Back / Superstition / Ain’t No Sunshine
- Lego House
- Supermarket Flowers
- Tenerife Sea
- Give Me Love
- Galway Girl
- Nancy Mulligan
- I Don’t Care
- Old Phone
- Camera
- Celestial
- Photograph
- Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself
- Thinking Out Loud
- Perfect
- I See Fire
- Bloodstream
- Afterglow
- You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
- Shape of You
- Azizam
- Bad Habits
