Ed Sheeran speaks out in Philly, says controversy ‘put me in the middle’

Ed Sheeran speaks out in Philly, notes controversy 'put me in the middle'.

Key points

• "What happened in Israel Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain, " Sheeran remarked.
• Though both dropped out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and the pro-Palestinian movement, openers Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe were slated to perform ahead of Sheeran.
• Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY's Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.
• USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri explains the fallout after Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour.
• 19 tour stop in Philadelphia, singer Ed Sheeran immediately addressed the particularly public and unprecedented controversy that has unfolded over the last week.

Ed Sheeran speaks out in Philly, notes controversy 'put me in the middle'. Kaitlyn McCormick USA TODAY NETWORK. Macklemore, Ed Sheeran tour controversy explained.

USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri explains the fallout after Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour. Video Team – USA TODAY Entertainment.

During his Sept. 19 tour stop in Philadelphia, singer Ed Sheeran immediately addressed the particularly public and unprecedented controversy that has unfolded over the last week. It left him with no openers or his original band.

At Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran took the stage solo at the top of the show, acknowledging that he has faced criticism regarding his music before, but this past week was "about something much more important."

Mentioning that he didn't want to disappoint fans and has "never wanted to be an activist musician, " Sheeran addressed the controversies surrounding his tour.

"This has put me in the middle of an important passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet, " he remarked.

His demonstrates and music are meant to be concerning "unity, not division, about humanity, not politics, " Sheeran noted, reasoning why he stays away from political commentary.

"But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore, " he remarked.

"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate, " he continued.

This was the first scheduled tour stop after rapper Macklemore being dropped from the show, a move Sheeran stated was decided by promoters, not himself.

Notably, the clash began after Macklemore faced heavy backlash from stadium owners for making a remarks concerning "Free Palestine" during the Sheeran's MetLife Stadium show: "The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine, " Macklemore noted.

Notably, the rapper remarked in a lengthy statement online that he was dropped from Sheeran's tour after a number of stadium owners offered Sheeran the "ultimatum" that if Macklemore was on the tour, they would not be permitted to play the venue.

Sheeran addressed this matter as well, stating that he was "deeply worried" concerning the idea of venues preapproving performance content. "It should never happen in the free world, " Sheeran remarked.

Though both dropped out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and the pro-Palestinian movement, openers Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe were slated to perform ahead of Sheeran. Sheeran's band, Beoga, additionally dropped out of the tour.

Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY's Philadelphia Metro Connect Team. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

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