Ed Sheeran could not hold back his tears on stage following a controversy at his concert: what happened during the tour?

2 hours ago

Ed Sheeran could not hold back his tears during his concert in Philadelphia after a difficult few days. Rapper Macklemore was removed from his tour, and the remaining performers refused to participate in the concerts to support their colleague. Sheeran even admitted that he contemplated whether he should continue his career.

Why was Macklemore removed from the tour?

During his performance, he chanted a pro-Palestinian slogan and performed the song "Hind's Hall," which is dedicated to the war in Gaza and student protests in the US. The next day, the rapper returned to the topic and addressed the Jewish audience. He emphasized that criticizing the policies of the Israeli government does not mean expressing anti-Jewish sentiment.

Following this, Macklemore faced criticism. Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium, opposed the rapper's participation in future concerts. Kraft accused him of presenting information one-sidedly and stated that he did not want to allow him to perform at his arena.

As a result, Macklemore was removed from the tour lineup. Sheeran later said that he had tried to resolve the issue of keeping Macklemore on the tour, but the final decision was made by the organizer.

The controversy did not end there. Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and the band Beoga refused to participate in the remaining concerts of the tour in support of Macklemore.

Sheeran burst into tears in front of the audience

At the beginning of the concert, he addressed the audience, admitting that the past week had been very difficult for him. The singer said he had to make difficult decisions, made mistakes, and regretted what had happened. During his conversation with the audience, he could not hold back his tears.

Sheeran said that he had previously deliberately avoided being an artist who speaks out on political issues, wanting his concerts to unite people of different views. However, he called the current situation a humanitarian issue and stated that he could no longer remain silent about it. Ed Sheeran openly stated his position, noting that he is still studying the situation and looking for ways to help the population affected by the events in Israel.

The tour was put at risk

Ultimately, he decided to return to the stage for the audience. After the concert, the singer spoke emotionally about the support of the audience, saying that the performance helped him overcome what had happened.

The controversy also affected the US leg of the tour. Following the change in the artist lineup, reports emerged that ticket sales had declined and some audience members had requested refunds. Some tickets for the Philadelphia concert were sold much cheaper than their original price.

Sheeran also expressed concern that concert venues might predetermine what artists can talk about on stage. Despite the controversy, his tour named "Mathematics" (Loop) continues: the singer's next performances are scheduled in the US, after which the tour will continue in other countries.