Ed Sheeran’s Gillette Stadium concerts called off over weather concerns amid Macklemore controversy
Washington : Ed Sheeran’s weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, have been cancelled due to severe weather warnings forecast across Boston and New England, the Robert Kraft-owned venue said on Friday, amid continuing controversy surrounding the singer’s tour and Kraft’s alleged role in having rapper Macklemore dropped from the tour’s US dates following his onstage support for Palestine.
As per Variety, the decision to cancel the September 25 and 26 concerts was made following forecasts of a nor’easter bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the East Coast.
Tour promoter Messina Touring said the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows was the primary consideration behind the decision to cancel the concerts.
“Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” Messina Touring said in a statement, adding, “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority.”
The cancellations came after a recent controversy surrounding Macklemore’s participation in Sheeran’s tour. Macklemore had been scheduled to perform as an opening act at Sheeran’s Gillette Stadium shows before his removal from the tour amid controversy over his pro-Palestinian remarks.
Robert Kraft, whose Gillette Stadium is the venue for the concerts, had previously said that Macklemore’s participation in the September 25 and 26 shows would not go ahead.
Kraft said Gillette Stadium had “a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech,” in a statement reported by Variety.
Following Macklemore’s removal from the tour, Sheeran addressed the controversy during his September 19 show.
“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I have never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” he said, adding, “My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honouring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.”
Ed Sheeran also broke down in tears during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, saying he felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour.
Reflecting on what he described as “a weird week”, Sheeran told the audience that people had urged him to cancel the tour and that several people close to him had backed away, as per Page Six.
“In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It’s been a weird week,” he said, adding, “It happened very quickly. At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people I’ve known for years and years and years, they’re kind of backing away,” as cited by Page Six.
Sheeran said the continued ticket sales for his Philadelphia show gave him a different perspective.
Sheeran described the concert as the best show of his life, while calling the preceding week one of the worst he had experienced. He later became emotional while describing the love he felt from the crowd, saying he had initially been worried about his safety and whether he would be booed.
“The world is a scary place right now, America is a scary place right now,” he said, before pointing towards the audience and adding, “This gives hope.”
The emotional appearance came after all of Sheeran’s opening acts quit the tour, including his backing band, in solidarity with Macklemore following the rapper’s pro-Palestine comments.
Sheeran also revealed that he had altered the concert setup because of safety concerns. He said he removed the B stage because he feared what could happen if he stood in the middle of the audience area.
