Ed Sheeran took the stage on Saturday night for the first time since Macklemore was removed from his stadium tour following the Seattle rapper’s onstage speech in support of Palestinians. The singer, who did not have any opening acts at the Philadelphia show, addressed the backlash at the top of his set.
“This is not usually how I would open the show, but before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” he said, visibly shaken as he spoke. “I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised. I’m not surprised that other people don’t. It’s normal. But this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry.”
He continued: “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. My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.”
In a statement earlier this week, Sheeran said the decision to nix Macklemore from the tour wasn’t his, instead pointing the finger at promoter Messina Touring Group and citing pressure from venues. He said that after hearing some venues did not want Macklemore to perform following his comments at MetLife Stadium, he spoke with the owners, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who ultimately forced his hand.
“I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performers,” Sheeran said Saturday. “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
Sheeran then directly addressed his stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict, reiterating that he has never wanted to be an “activist musician” or “political commentator” but that after fans began making assumptions about where he aligns politically, he felt it was important to set the record straight himself.
“Now, I want to address the question of where I stand on Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand,” he said. “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. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives. The systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked. 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.”
Sheeran became emotional as he thanked his fans for standing by him. “I honestly am so grateful that you’re here tonight with me. This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone here can stand above people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they could all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope, and unity.”
Following Macklemore’s exit, all of Sheeran’s opening acts withdrew from his Loop Tour, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Row. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge,” Graham said in a statement. “This is a difficult decision, but it’s one I need to stand by.”
Prior to his performance of his 2017 hit “Galway Girl,” Sheeran addressed the exodus, noting that he was figuring out “how am I going to get musicians to stand onstage with me in a week where no one wants to stand on stage with me?” He introduced collaborator Alicia Enstrom, who toured with Sheeran last year, alongside other musicians. “They said yes to being on stage with the knowledge that the world thought I was a certain type of person,” Sheeran said. “They said yes with the knowledge that the world may hate them too for standing onstage with me.”
Sheeran also admitted he removed a secondary stage out of fear for his physical safety. “I didn’t know what this audience would be like tonight,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would have things thrown at me. I didn’t know if people would be angry at me. So Philly, I apologize that today is not the usual loop show. I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle.”
Doubling down on his stance after his removal from the tour, Macklemore pledged to donate $1 million to Palestinian support groups and challenged Kraft “to match” him. Kraft responded with a statement and said that “Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.” A rep for Sheeran did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s earlier request for comment.
