Ed Sheeran revealed he altered his stage layout for a concert in Philadelphia on Saturday night because he was afraid audience members might throw objects at him. The British singer-songwriter, performing at Lincoln Financial Field for his first stage appearance since his Loop Tour was plunged into turmoil, admitted to removing his central B Stage due to safety concerns.
Security was a major concern for the concert, with officials from the Philadelphia Police Department previously confirming they would take appropriate safety measures for the event. Pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the venue before Sheeran took the stage, following days of intense backlash over the decision to drop American rapper Macklemore as the tour's opening act.
Addressing the crowd from the main stage, Sheeran explained that he chose to forego his usual setup because he was uncertain how the audience would react to him. "At this point in the show, I usually go to a B stage and I'm going to be totally honest with you, I didn't know what this audience would be like," Sheeran told concertgoers. "I didn't know if I would have things thrown at me. I didn't know if people would be angry at me, so today is not the usual Loop show. I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle. And I will admit that."
The concert went off without any security incidents, but Sheeran was forced to perform with a newly assembled backing band. His previous backing group, the Irish folk band Beoga, dropped off the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore following his controversial removal.
Sheeran typically performs his live concerts solo using a loop pedal to layer tracks, but relies on a live band for specific songs such as Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan. He explained the challenge he faced when his musicians withdrew just one week before the Philadelphia show. "There are certain songs that just don’t work on the loop pedal," Sheeran said. "So, when my friends dropped off this show, I was thinking, How am I going to keep the show the same? And how am I going to get musicians to stand on stage with me in a week where no one wants to stand on stage with me?"
To replace his former bandmates, Sheeran phoned violinist Alicia Enstrom, a musician who had previously toured with him during his Mathematics Tour over the past two years. Enstrom agreed to join him and recruited fellow musicians, who were given just three days to learn the setlist. Sheeran praised the musicians for agreeing to stand on stage alongside him despite the public controversy. "They said yes to being onstage with the knowledge that the world thought I was a certain type of person," Sheeran said. "They said yes with the knowledge that the world may hate them too for standing on stage with me, and I am so grateful for them being here tonight and standing on stage with me in front of you guys."
Addressing the Israel-Palestine Controversy
Elsewhere during the performance, Sheeran held back tears as he apologized to fans for how he handled the Israel-Palestine controversy that has threatened to wreck his tour. The pop star acknowledged that he was unsure if upcoming concert dates would go ahead amid growing calls for a boycott over the decision to drop Macklemore.
Sheeran backtracked on his previous vow never to bring politics into his music, telling the audience that he felt compelled to speak out on the humanitarian crisis. He described the situation in Gaza as catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate, while calling the October 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel horrific.
In a video recorded by a concertgoer and shared online, Sheeran delivered a solemn speech at the start of the gig. "I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity and not division, about humanity and not politics," he said. "But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore."
He continued: "What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives, and the systemic injustice we're seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked."
The father of two acknowledged that his comments might upset families attending the show and apologized for devoting the opening section of the concert to politics rather than music. "The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn't about music and I had to talk," Sheeran said towards the end of the concert. "I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn't buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say." He noted that fans who come to his shows generally do not expect a political forum, but stated that recent events forced him to make difficult decisions.
Tour Boycotts and Venue Ultimatums
The controversy surrounding the Loop Tour escalated after 43-year-old rapper Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was axed as Sheeran's opening act after taking a vocal stance in support of a Free Palestine. Macklemore subsequently claimed that Sheeran told him Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts through the Kraft Group, had refused to allow Macklemore to perform at his venue.
According to Macklemore, Kraft rallied other stadium owners to issue a collective ultimatum to Sheeran: "if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues." Following Macklemore's public statement, Sheeran released his own statement on Instagram explaining that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour promoter, not by Sheeran himself. Sheeran stated that he could not abandon his fans, touring crew, or supporting musicians who rely on the tour for their livelihoods.
In his online statement, Sheeran noted that while he holds personal views on the devastating conflict, he had initially chosen not to speak publicly. During his Philadelphia performance, Sheeran expressed deep concern over venue operators dictating performer content. "I am deeply worried about the idea that venues pre-approved content performance," Sheeran said. "This happens in so many places that I've gone around the world, but it should never happen in the free world."
Widespread Backlash from Artists and Family
Macklemore's removal sparked widespread criticism and a series of high-profile departures from Sheeran's tour line-up. Finneas O'Connell, the brother and producer of pop star Billie Eilish, pulled out of his scheduled appearances on upcoming tour dates, stating that artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. Additional opening acts, including Aaron Rowe and the Danish band Lukas Graham, also withdrew from the tour.
Sheeran also faced heavy criticism from fellow musicians, including Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, who condemned him on social media for not taking a stand against Macklemore's removal. The backlash extended to Sheeran's own family. His 44-year-old cousin, Jethro Sheeran, posted a scathing message on Facebook calling Ed a coward and expressing shame over his actions. "Finally it's all coming out! I'm ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he's done," Jethro Sheeran wrote. "Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He's not a good person, I don't like his music so I can't say he's even a good artist."
Despite the fallout, Sheeran vowed to continue the Loop Tour. By the end of the Philadelphia concert, Sheeran broke down in tears as the audience applauded him. "I'm so grateful. The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. This gives hope," Sheeran told the crowd. He reassured fans that he would not stop performing, concluding: "My shows are about people coming together that don't know each other, that have different beliefs. They're about unity. They're about love. They're about family."
