Ed Sheeran addresses Macklemore removal and speaks on Gaza in Philadelphia
Ed Sheeran walked out in Philadelphia on Saturday night with no opening acts and spoke first.
It was his first show since Macklemore was removed from the rest of his American stadium tour. Sheeran addressed the backlash at the top of his set, telling the crowd he wanted to explain what had happened and where he stood, according to Rolling Stone.
Macklemore had been the support act, the performer who plays before the headliner. He said he was dropped after pro-Palestinian comments on stage, including saying “free Palestine” during a show in New Jersey on 5 September 2026. Macklemore said he had condemned the violence in Gaza before his removal, a sequence also reported by CNN and Reuters.
Sheeran said earlier in the week that the decision was not his. He blamed promoter Messina Touring Group and pressure from venues. He said he spoke with venue owners, including Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, after hearing some venues did not want Macklemore to perform following his comments at MetLife Stadium. Sheeran has also said he tried to persuade venues to keep Macklemore on the bill.
In Philadelphia, he returned to that dispute. “I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performers,” he said. “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
He then turned directly to Israel and Palestine. “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.
Sheeran said he had long avoided political commentary. “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 spoke about both the 7 October attacks and the war in Gaza. “What happened in Israel and at the Supernova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,” he said. “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate.”
He continued: “My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives.” He added: “The systemic injustice we're seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
Sheeran closed that part of his remarks by saying he is speaking to people across the spectrum about how to make a contribution that helps victims. He said he is listening and learning because he does not know enough.
