Ed Sheeran used his first concert since Macklemore was removed from his tour to address the controversy surrounding the rapper’s pro-Palestinian remarks. Speaking at a sports stadium in Philadelphia, Sheeran said he had been drawn into a debate he had not sought.
“I never wanted to be an activist musician,” Sheeran said, according to the BBC, adding that the episode had placed him “in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet”.
The Saturday performance was presented as a stripped-down event. Sheeran appeared without opening acts after several musicians withdrew from the show, pushing back its start time. The BBC reported that empty seats were visible when the concert began.
Sheeran has said that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour’s promoters rather than by him. Macklemore’s remarks were described in the source material as pro-Palestinian, but no further details of the comments or the promoters’ decision were provided.
The controversy has affected the remaining US dates of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, with ticket prices reduced and sales reported to have declined, according to the BBC. The source did not provide figures for the changes or identify the musicians who withdrew.
The Philadelphia concert was Sheeran’s first since the dispute became public. The BBC said its report was developing and that further details would be published.