Ed Sheeran opened his concert in Philadelphia on Saturday by addressing the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his tour, concerns over venues restricting artists’ speech, and his own views on Israel and Palestine.
Saturday’s show marked Sheeran’s first concert since Macklemore was removed as a support act from the tour after several stadium operators, led by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, objected to the Seattle rapper’s previous remarks in support of Palestine and threatened to block him from performing if he remained on the bill. In response to Macklemore’s removal, Sheeran’s remaining openers – FINNEAS, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe – along with his live backing band Beoga, withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine.
“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,” Sheeran said to begin his remarks during Saturday’s show in Philadelphia. “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.”
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“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 continued.
“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 central to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.”
Sheeran said he was “deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performance,” adding, “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
He then sought to “address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand.”
“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,” he said.
“What happened in Israel at the Nova music festival on October 7th 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. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
Sheeran said he is “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 has already secured a $2 million commitment from Kraft for humanitarian aid in the region, matching Sheeran’s own $2 million pledge.
Sheeran concluded his remarks by thanking those in attendance and emphasizing his desire for the concert to remain a space where people with opposing views can come together. “This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views. Everyone here can stand by people that they don’t agree with on everything, and they can all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope, and unity.”
Watch video of Sheeran’s remarks below.