Ed Sheeran used the opening of his Philadelphia concert to address the controversy surrounding his tour and the war in Gaza, saying he wanted his performances to focus on unity and humanity rather than politics.
Speaking at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, Sheeran said the attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023 were horrific. He nevertheless described what is happening in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable” and criticised the response as disproportionate, according to Euronews.
Sheeran said he had never wanted to be an activist musician and did not want to disappoint his fans. He told the audience that he had been placed in the middle of a significant argument about freedom of speech and what he called the world’s most complex political issue.
The comments followed a turbulent week for the tour. Rapper Macklemore, who had been scheduled as Sheeran’s original US opener, was dropped after saying “Free Palestine” during a 5 September performance in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for that decision, which came after pressure from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns a stadium where the tour was due to perform.
Several other performers subsequently withdrew. Irish folk band Beoga, Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe backed out, while Finneas withdrew from planned South American dates. Sheeran began the Philadelphia show alone before other musicians joined him later.
A small pro-Palestinian demonstration took place outside the stadium. One former fan, Hillary Steinberg, said she had refunded her tickets because she was disappointed by Sheeran’s earlier reluctance to defend Macklemore or express empathy for Palestinians. Concertgoer Diane Savitz disagreed, saying a show should bring people together and was not always the appropriate setting for political debate.
Sheeran told fans that people with opposing views were welcome at his concerts and could still sing songs about “love, hope and unity.” He also criticised venues pre-approving performances, saying such restrictions should not occur in the free world.