Ed Sheeran opened his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday by telling the crowd that the situation in Gaza was “catastrophic and unjustifiable,” his most direct public comment since his Loop Tour was thrown into turmoil.
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” he said. He also called the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel horrific.
The British singer said he wanted his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. “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 said.
The remarks followed a week in which all of Sheeran’s supporting acts withdrew after his original US opener, rapper Macklemore, was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage. Sheeran has said the tour promoter, not he, was responsible for that decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Macklemore had been replaced by the Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out. Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator, dropped out of a planned South American leg earlier in the week.
Outside the stadium, about 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied before the show. Hillary Steinberg, 34, of Philadelphia, said she obtained a refund for her ticket and joined the protest instead. “I was, until this week, a big Ed Sheeran fan,” she said. “I think all art is political, and all music is political.”
Joy VanRuler, 55, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, said she supported both artists. “It doesn’t need to be political,” she said. “It’s about the music.”
Macklemore said earlier in the week he was donating US$1 million to Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift. A spokesperson for Kraft said the billionaire and Sheeran had each agreed to donate US$2 million, without specifying where the money would be directed.