‘I'm so, so sorry’: Ed Sheeran addresses Gaza on stage after losing every opening act

‘I'm so, so sorry’: Ed Sheeran addresses Gaza on stage after losing every opening act

Submitted by Ayse Betul Aytekin on Sun, 09/20/2026 - 20:04 Facing international backlash and protests outside the stadium, the pop star called Israel's war on Gaza "unjustifiable" Off

About a week after the widespread international backlash he faced, Ed Sheeran made his first public comments on stage, apologising to fans and saying that what Israel is doing in Gaza is "unjustifiable".

Last week, American rapper Macklemore announced online that he had been removed from Sheeran's Loop Tour, which is due to stop at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Sheeran has shows on 25 and 26 September.

Macklemore was to open for Sheeran, but the stadium's owner, billionaire Robert Kraft, wanted him removed over his pro-Palestine speeches on stage, threatening to cancel Sheeran's stadium concerts if he stayed and lobbying other stadium owners to join him in applying pressure.

"I've had to take and make difficult decisions and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry," Sheeran told his audience in Philadelphia, where he performed for the first time since Macklemore was taken off the tour.

Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the venue hours before Sheeran's concert was due to start.

In a post on social media last week, the British singer responded to the criticism by saying that removing Macklemore was not his decision but the promoters' and venues', and that he had chosen not to speak publicly about Israel's genocide in Gaza or to use his platform for politics.

At the start of the concert at Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran called Israel's war on Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate".

According to US media reports, the start time of Sheeran's concert was pushed back by two and a half hours because of the withdrawal of all the opening acts, and Sheeran performed solo.
 

A week of withdrawals

It started when Macklemore, wearing a keffiyeh, performed in front of more than 80,000 people at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, speaking openly in support of Palestinians while singing his pro-Palestine anthem "Hind's Hall".

American Israeli lobby groups then launched a petition to pressure Sheeran to drop Macklemore as his opening act from future tour dates.

The rapper made a public statement last week on social media, announcing that he had been removed from Sheeran's tour due to an ultimatum from the pro-Israel billionaire.

"After my family, there is nothing I'm more passionate about than the State of Israel and my Jewish identity," Kraft said in Israel in 2019.

Macklemore's announcement not only drew huge support from fans and the international community, but also led all the opening acts on Sheeran's Loop Tour to withdraw in support of the rapper and the Palestinian people.

Among them were Finneas, a Grammy-winning musician and brother of singer Billie Eilish; the Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga; and the Danish band Lukas Graham.

"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas wrote on Instagram last Tuesday, adding: "I stand with Palestine and its people."

In the days that followed, Macklemore said he would donate the entire $1m he earned from the previous concerts of Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians.

Following his pledge, children's YouTube creator Ms Rachel announced she would also donate $1m to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

"I will match Macklemore's donation, and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza," she said.

Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0