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Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour looked very different from what fans may have expected when the singer-songwriter took to the stage in Philadelphia.
On Saturday, September 19, multiple fan accounts revealed the staging for that night’s gig at Lincoln Financial Field would not include a B-stage.
Sheeran, 35, has traditionally performed fan requests on this secondary stage during a portion of his Loop Tour concerts. (No song requests were taken in Philadelphia, as of publication.)
It has unquestionably been a tumultuous week for Sheeran in the wake of the controversy over Macklemore being dropped as a Loop Tour support act.
The “Same Love” rapper, 43, ignited controversy while opening for Sheeran at two concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month when he declared “Free Palestine” during a performance of his protest track “Hind’s Hall.”
Sheeran allegedly faced pressure from tour promoters and venue owners — including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft — over allowing Macklemore to continue performing at upcoming shows. Macklemore was ultimately dismissed as one of Sheeran’s openers on Monday, September 14.
“Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from the Loop Tour. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim,” Macklemore wrote in a statement on Monday. “We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.”
The hip-hop star added, “[Ed] told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement. I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.”
Sheeran broke his silence over the brewing scandal on Tuesday, September 15, denying that he’d personally decided to remove Macklemore from eight scheduled concerts.
“I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge. … I have spent this week trying to build bridges, to find a solution and unfortunately, was unable to do so,” Sheeran wrote in a statement. “I know who I am, both as a person and as an artist, and those who know my heart know my values too.”
Macklemore has continued his advocacy by donating his $1 million Loop Tour salary to Palestinian organizations. He challenged Kraft, 85, to do the same — with the New England Patriots owner later confirming he’d matched Sheeran’s own $2 million donation to support humanitarian aid.
Ahead of Saturday’s Loop Tour stop in Philadelphia, fans were advised that the show would start at 8 p.m. ET, rather than the traditional showtime of 5:30 p.m. The change was likely caused by support acts Finneas and Lukas Graham dropping out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Ticket prices on the resale market also seemingly took a hit prior to the Philly gig, as seats that were listed at $100 on Tuesday dropped to as low as $42 on Saturday.
For his part, Sheeran opened up the Philadelphia show with a lengthy statement about the events of the past week.
“This week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take [it in] and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry,” he told fans.
Sheeran said he’d been placed “in the middle of an important, passionate argument” — before condemning both the “horrific” violence unleashed on October 7, 2023, as well as the “catastrophic and unjustifiable” loss of life in Gaza. (The United Nations issued a report in June stating that 20,000 children have been killed and more than 44,000 have been injured in the region since hostilities escalated on October 7, 2023.)
“I’m listening and learning. I do not know enough [about the conflict],” he acknowledged.
Sheeran is next scheduled to play at the Kraft-owned Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26.
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