Sheeran Opens Philadelphia Show With Gaza Remarks as Tour Roster Shrinks

Ed Sheeran began his solo concert in Philadelphia on Saturday night with remarks about Gaza, describing the situation there as "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate."

Speaking at Lincoln Financial Field, the singer said the October 7 attack in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival was "horrific" and had compounded centuries of Jewish pain. He added that the scale of devastation and the loss of civilian and children's lives had left him heartbroken, and said the "systemic injustice" unfolding in the West Bank could not be overlooked.

Sheeran also said he wants his music and his shows to stand for unity and humanity rather than politics.

His comments came at the end of a turbulent week for the Loop Tour. Macklemore, the original US opener, was dropped after exclaiming "Free Palestine" during a September 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for that decision, which he attributed to the tour promoter, and which followed urging from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns a stadium where the tour was scheduled to play on Friday.

Within hours of Sheeran's statement on Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with Macklemore. The Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe, who had been lined up as replacements, both backed out. Finneas, Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, was also due to join the South American leg of the tour later this year before dropping out earlier in the week.

Macklemore said on Wednesday that he is donating $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift. A spokesperson for Kraft said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $2 million, without specifying where the money will go. Sheeran's representatives have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Sheeran has performed much of the Loop Tour solo, though the Irish folk band Beoga had joined him for several songs at each stop. As of Saturday afternoon, tickets for the Philadelphia show were still available and his website listed no replacement acts.

The tour has been the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of more than $7 million per city, according to Pollstar in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran ranked as the third top-earning concert act since 2021.