Ed Sheeran has faced major backlash over the removal of support act, Macklemore, from his Loop tour following comments he made about Palestine on stage
Ed Sheeran started sobbing on stage while performing his Loop tour
Ed Sheeran was seen sobbing on stage as he performed on stage in Philadelphia for his Loop tour after admitting the world is a “scary place”. Ed Sheeran opened the concert with an apology to his fans for the “mistakes” he made after controversy erupted over his support act, Macklemore.
The US rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said during a concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten before crying out “Free Palestine” on stage. The act was then dropped from the tour and said the only reason he said yes to the tour was to speak out to a huge platform, however the singer said this was at odds with Ed’s ‘apolitical stance.’
The axing of Maklemore led to an outpouring of criticism from fans, celebrities and charities across the world. Other acts then dropped out of Sheeran’s tour include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham.
But while on stage for the first time since the backlash, Sheeran became emotional and was seen sobbing on stage as he thanked fans.
He said: “The… the world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. Thank you so much, Philadelphia. Thank you so much.”
“I hope you all have had fun. The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn’t about music and I had to talk. And I understand that people have children here, and I understand that families didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show. But that was something I felt like I needed to say. I felt there was a lot of questions that I needed to answer.
“So to all the parents there that brought their kids here tonight, thank you so much for bringing them. And I do apologise for the first bit of the show.
“My shows, they’re about unity, they’re about love, they’re about family. They’re about people, as I said, people coming together that don’t know each other, that have different beliefs.
“And you know, you’re jumping around like maniacs with each other and having fun. And I will never stop doing this. I love doing this so much for you. Thank you.”
What happened with Macklemore and Ed Sheeran?
On Monday, Macklemore posted on Instagram claiming Sheeran and his team had “made the decision to remove” him from the Loop Tour.
Sheeran responded in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was the promoter’s decision to remove the rapper from the tour, not his.
He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.
Sheeran added: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.
“Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own personal way.”
The Shape Of You singer added he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
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