Ed Sheeran contemplated quitting performing in aftermath of Macklemore row
Ed Sheeran performed in Philadelphia (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) AP Nick Lester 5 minutes ago Ed Sheeran said he questioned whether he “wanted to be an artist at all” as controversy over Macklemore’s removal from his world tour threatened its future.
Support acts and the backing band for the star’s current The Loop tour dropped out of the remaining dates after the US rapper, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was removed from the line-up following comments about the conflict in Gaza .
Performing for the first time since the incident unfolded, Sheeran told the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia: “I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on.
“I really didn’t know whether I’d be even getting on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather prior to a protest before an Ed Sheeran concert in Philadelphia (Allie Ippolito/AP) AP “In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week. I just feel like it happened very quickly.”
He opened the show admitting he had made “mistakes” and condemning the conflict in Gaza as “catastrophic” and “unjustifiable”.
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”.
“What happened in Israel and at the 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, children’s lives.
“And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
US rapper Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour line-up over comments he made about Gaza (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP) AP Sheeran concluded the concert by saying: “The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope.”
James Webber IV from Scranton, Pennsylvania said: “I stand with Ed. I think there’s a time for politics and a music concert is not one of those places.”
Ed Sheeran admits ‘mistakes’ at first concert since Macklemore tour row
Ed Sheeran fans support singer at first concert since Macklemore tour row
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