Inside the Fear, Anger, and Hope at Ed Sheeran’s Philadelphia Concert

I t’s nearly a quarter after 8 p.m. on a Saturday night in Philadelphia and no one inside the Lincoln Financial Field really knows what to expect. Ed Sheeran is supposed to take the stage any moment now, but there’s no sign of the musician.

Crew members adjust a singular mic stand at the center of the round, elevated stage against the bright pink LED screen that reads “Loop Tour.” Fans find their seats, while others talk amongst themselves. “Where is he?” one woman asks. “It definitely feels emptier,” another remarks. “Theres a whole section over there where there is nobody,” one says, pointing to a section of empty midnight green seats. Just before the show is set to start, various sections in the stadium still have remaining tickets available on Ticketmaster with floor seats selling as low as $90.

Then the LED screen goes black and everyone forgets about the empty seats around them. Ed is here — and he looks ready to talk. “Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” the 35 year-old superstar says, his nerves palpable as he reads off of a teleprompter.

It’s the moment tens of thousands of people at the stadium — and online — have been waiting for. What is Sheeran going to say at his first concert since finding himself at the center of a controversy that touches on some of the most charged issues of our time, like the Israel-Gaza war, freedom of speech , and the power of billionaires.

Earlier this week, Sheeran came under fire for not supporting his tour opener, Macklemore, after the rapper was removed from the rest of the stadium tour once several venues, including the Robert Kraft -owned Gillette Stadium, allegedly told promoter Messina Touring Group that they would not allow the rapper to perform due to his onstage statements at MetLife Stadium in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including a call for a “free Palestine.”

At the time, Sheeran said , he had tried to “find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final.” By Tuesday afternoon, all of his remaining tour openers — Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Row — had dropped out of the tour along with Beoga, who played as a backing band for a portion of the set. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

The Loop Tour was well underway at the time of Macklemore’s removal, having kicked off in Australia earlier this year. But after the controversy, heightened attention turned to Sheeran’s next tour stop in Philly as the world questioned just how it would play out. Would Sheeran be forced to cancel? How would he navigate without opening acts? Would there be protests? Was it safe to attend? Would anyone even be there? (Not if the online hate towards the musician signified real-life turnout).

Some fans with tickets to the concert, like Dan Shapiro, felt conflicted about going. A father of two, Shapiro had purchased tickets to the concert last September with the idea of turning it into a family outing.