Ed Sheeran says he "never wanted to be an activist musician" in first show since Macklemore's removal from tour

Ed Sheeran spoke to fans at the beginning of his LOOP tour show in Philadelphia, on Saturday, September 19.

Sheeran began by saying he wanted to stay apolitical, but the controversy surrounding the tour had placed him "in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet."

The singer performed a solo set, due to his band Beoga, and the entirety of his supporting acts leaving the tour, following rapper Macklemore's removal. He was dismissed after calling for a 'free Palestine,' during his opening set at Sheeran's concert on September 4 in New Jersey.

Several stadium owners contacted him following Macklemore's opening set and threatened to pull the show from stadiums if he was not removed from the tour. This included Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette stadium and the New England Patriots football team. Kraft is a longtime supporter of Israel and the Israeli military.

Kraft said that Sheeran asked him to match his own $2M (€1.74M) donation for "aid in the region."

This came after Macklemore said he would donate $1M (€871,650) to Palestinian organisations, challenging Kraft to match him, however Kraft has not specified whether the donation will be going to the same charities as Macklemore.

Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding stadiums being involved in Macklemore's departure, though he did not mention him directly.

"I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content of performers.

"This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world."

He then went on to clarify his stance on Israel and Palestine.

"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, unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.

"I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough."

The singer also appeared to criticise the acts that dropped out of his tour during the concert's finale.

"I really didn’t know whether this tour would carry on, I really didn’t know whether I’d get on stage again, whether I even wanted to be an artist at all.

"But, you know, in these situations, you really find out who your friends are. Everyone’s telling me to cancel and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me and I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me."