Ed Sheeran broke down during his Philadelphia concert as he spoke about the backlash surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his US tour, saying he had felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years.
Addressing nearly 50,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field on 19 September, Sheeran described the previous week as one of the hardest of his life. He said the pressure had become so intense that he had even questioned whether he wanted to continue performing.
“In these situations you really find out who your friends are,” Sheeran told the crowd, saying people he had known for years were “backing away” while others were urging him to cancel the tour.
“Everyone’s telling me to cancel and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me,” he said. “I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me.”
The emotional moment came after Macklemore was removed from the Loop Tour following his public support for Palestine during a performance. Sheeran has said the decision was made by the tour promoter rather than him and that he had tried to find a compromise.
Several acts subsequently withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga. Sheeran’s touring band also stepped away.
Sheeran also used the Philadelphia show to address the Israel-Gaza conflict. He described the 7 October attack in Israel and at the Nova music festival as “horrific” and said the situation in Gaza was “catastrophic and unjustifiable”.
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives,” he said. He also said he had been speaking with people from different perspectives to understand how he could contribute to helping victims.
The controversy has also affected Sheeran personally. His cousin Jethro criticised him publicly earlier in the week, while Sheeran said the pressure had left him unsure about continuing the tour or even remaining an artist.
He also expressed concern about his safety and removed the smaller B-stage from his show. The stage had previously allowed him to perform from the middle of the audience.
Despite calls for a boycott and for the tour to be cancelled, about 50,000 people attended the Philadelphia concert. Sheeran thanked the audience for standing by him during what he described as an extremely difficult period.
