British singer Ed Sheeran has performed his first show since facing backlash over a controversial decision to drop rapper Macklemore from his tour. The decision - which Sheeran said was made by his promoter, not by himself - stemmed from pro-Palestinian comments Macklemore made on stage earlier this month. Sheeran addressed the controversy and spoke for nearly four minutes at the start of his set in Philadelphia on Saturday, saying he had made "mistakes" handling the fallout.
"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." Sheeran described the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as "horrific", and also called the situation in Gaza "unjustifiable" in his first in-person remarks on the matter since the controversy erupted. The ongoing saga from Macklemore's comments and subsequent removal from the tour led Sheeran's support acts to drop out, and fans to express frustration.
While performing as the opening act for Sheeran at a concert in early September in New Jersey, Macklemore said: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine." The Thrift Shop rapper then performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. The lyrics are critical of Israel's military actions in Gaza following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The following night, Macklemore referred to the death toll as a genocide, a claim that Israel rejects.
In response, the Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour, and the campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda. Pop star Pink, who is Jewish, reposted an anti-Macklemore meme and then her own message, explaining her criticism of the rapper's comments. Macklemore then posted on Instagram that the media attention "surrounding Pink and what I said" had caused billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft to call Sheeran.
"Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium," Macklemore wrote of Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots American football team. Concert promoter Messina Touring Group said Macklemore was dropped because some venues - such as Kraft's Gillette Stadium - would cancel Sheeran's planned concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill. Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed he banned the US rapper from performing at Gillette, accusing Macklemore of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric.
"I agree with Macklemore, too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering, but only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate," Kraft said. Macklemore was removed from Sheeran's tour on 14 September. The rapper said in a lengthy Instagram statement that after a week of "difficult conversations" with Sheeran that ultimately ended "in a place of fundamental disagreement", he was dropped from the lineup.
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