Ed Sheeran performed his first concert since the removal of rapper Macklemore from his tour due to controversial comments about Gaza. At Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Sheeran emotionally addressed the audience, admitting he had considered quitting music after facing criticism over political issues. He condemned the conflict in Gaza as "catastrophic" and "unjustifiable," expressing his deep distress over civilian casualties, particularly children’s lives lost. Despite some attendees' support for focusing on the music, a small protest took place outside the venue against Sheeran's tour continuation.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Ed Sheeran says he contemplated quitting as an artist at first concert since Macklemore crisis engulfed tour
Support acts and the backing band for the star’s current The Loop tour dropped out of the remaining dates after the US rapper was removed from the line-up following comments about the conflict in Gaza.
asserted
rapper → say → Gaza
Performing for the first time since the incident unfolded, an emotional Sheeran told the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia: “I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on.
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tour → perform → Philadelphia
“I really didn’t know whether I’d be even getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all.
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I → know → stage
“In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week.
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it → find → situations
I just feel like it happened very quickly.”
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it → feel → ?
He opened the show admitting he had made “mistakes” and condemning the conflict in Gaza as “catastrophic” and “unjustifiable”.
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he → open → Gaza
At times he appeared to be fighting back tears.
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he → appear → tears
The English singer said he had tried in the past not to be a “political commentator” because he wanted his shows to be about “unity”.
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shows → say → unity
“I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore,” he said.
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he → hide → it
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
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happened → happen → pain
“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.
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happening → happen → Gaza
My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives.
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heart → break → lives
“And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
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we → see → Bank
Sheeran concluded the concert by saying: “The world is a scary place right now.
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world → conclude → concert
This gives hope.”
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This → give → hope
Ahead of the show, attendees said they were sticking by the musician.
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they → say → musician
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“I came here to have a good time and watch Ed Sheeran.
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I → read → Sheeran
“I’ve been waiting a whole year to come and see him, so I’m excited to see the show.”
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I → wait → show
Dwayne Smith from Canada said: “We’re just here for Ed Sheeran.
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We → say → Sheeran
All politics aside, we just like the music.
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we → like → music
We are here to support him.
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We → support → him
It’s not about Palestine or Israel tonight, it’s just about the music for us.”
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it → ’ → us
A small but vocal pro-Palestine protest was held outside the subway station that serves the stadium, several hundred metres from the venue.
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that → hold → venue
Philadelphia resident Hillary Steinberg told the Associated Press she had received a refund for her tickets and decided to attend the protest instead.
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she → tell → protest
She said: “I think all art is political, and all music is political, and so this choice — even though he was saying that he wasn’t complicit — is a political choice.”
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he → say → ?
The 35-year-old singer began his world tour in Auckland, New Zealand in January.
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singer → begin → January
It is set to wrap up in Mexico City in December, with a total of 16 shows still scheduled across North and South America, after Philadelphia.
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It → set → Philadelphia
Acts who dropped out of Sheeran’s tour include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga.
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who → drop → Rowe
During an earlier show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the rapper said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
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they → say → Gaza
Sheeran responded in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was the promoter’s decision to remove the rapper from the tour, not his.
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it → respond → his
He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.
The Shape Of You singer said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
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he → say → artist
The Aporia
