Ed Sheeran calls situation in Palestine ‘catastrophic and unjustifiable’ at solo concert

Singer Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert in Philadelphia on Saturday by addressing the recent fallout over the removal of his tour’s opening act, Macklemore, due to the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments.

“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, not division. About humanity, not politics,” Sheeran told the crowd at the beginning of the show.

“But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” he continued.

The musician called the situation in Gaza “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate” and said his heart was “broken by the scale of the devastation” in this region. Sheeran also acknowledged Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel as “horrific.”

In a statement shared on social media last week, Macklemore said that Robert Kraft, the owner of Kraft Group and the New England Patriots, told Sheeran the rapper could not perform in the company’s Gillette Stadium following his on-stage comments in support of Palestine earlier this month.

“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” he wrote in the statement.

The rapper emphasized his thirteen years of friendship with Sheeran, and expressed his hope that their relationship would not end because of this disagreement.

“I hope we continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this,” Macklemore said. “My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.”

Supporting artists on Sheeran’s Loop Tour dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore, and ticket prices for this tour dropped dramatically amid this controversy, with some fans seeking refunds.

Earlier this week, Kraft said that Sheeran asked him to match his $2 million donation to provide “aid in the region” after Macklemore made a similar request to the billionaire businessman.

“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” he said in a statement shared on Gillette Stadium’s official social media account.

“In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts to create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs and forge relationships,” Kraft added.

On Saturday evening, Sheeran acknowledged that he did “not know enough” about how to address this situation and committed to talking with “people across the spectrum” to learn how to help Palestinians impacted by this conflict.

The singer appeared to get emotional as he thanked fans who still showed out to support him at Lincoln Financial Field.

“This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views and everyone can stand beside people that they don’t agree with on everything, that they can all agree on singing these songs,” Sheeran told the crowd. “And these songs are about love, hope and unity.”