Ed Sheeran breaks silence on Macklemore conroversy at Philadelphia concert

Ed Sheeran took the stage alone in Philadelphia on September 19, using his first concert since the Macklemore controversy to address the fallout and share where he stands on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The 35-year-old singer performed at Lincoln Financial Field as his Loop Tour continued without its opening acts and backing band, who had withdrawn following Macklemore’s removal from the lineup after his pro-Palestinian comments at MetLife Stadium earlier this month.

Before launching into his set, Sheeran apologized to fans and acknowledged the difficult decisions he had faced.

“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” the singer said. 

“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 myself, and to be honest, I’m not surprised that other people don’t. You know, 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.”

Sheeran also pushed back against the idea of venues controlling what artists can say onstage.

“But I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performance,” he said. “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”

Turning directly to Gaza and Israel, Sheeran said, “What happened in Israel at the No Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”

He added that he was “already speaking to people across the spectrum” about making a contribution to help victims of the conflict.

Earlier this week, Macklemore said he would donate his $1 million in Loop Tour earnings to Palestinian relief organizations. 

Robert Kraft later said Sheeran had asked him to commit $2 million to match Sheeran’s own donation.

Despite the controversy, Sheeran ended his statement by emphasizing what he wanted his concerts to represent: “love, hope and unity.”