PHILADELPHIA — Ed Sheeran is set to resume his tour Saturday — possibly solo — after all his supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.
It remains to be seen how Sheeran will handle the performance at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field given the departure of his opening acts and supporting band. Sheeran has performed much of his Loop Tour concerts solo, but he had been joined for several songs at each stop by the Irish folk band Beoga. Macklemore, Sheeran's original U.S. opener, had been replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.
Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out earlier this week.
Sheeran has not said anything publicly since losing the artists' support. As of Saturday afternoon, tickets were still available for the show, and his website did not list any replacement acts.
A group of about 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outside the stadium. Rose Tejada, 20, of Philadelphia, expressed disappointment that Sheeran did not take a stand on the issue.
“This is endemic in Western culture that we believe we can stay out of conflict, be apolitical,” Tejada said.
The show comes after a tumultuous week that opened with Macklemore being dropped in response to exclaiming “Free Palestine” during a Sept. 5 show in New Jersey. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to play on Friday.
Within hours of Sheeran's statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.
Jessica Grono, 51, planned to drive 30 minutes from her Phoenixville home to attend the concert. She has liked Sheeran since his song “The A Team” was released in 2011 and loves his voice, music and storytelling.
“I feel bad for him,” Grono said, adding that he has not said anything wrong and should not be penalized for others’ words.
Macklemore said Wednesday he is donating $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift; a spokesperson for Kraft has said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $2 million but have not specified where the money will be directed. Sheeran's representatives have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Sheeran's Loop Tour was the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of over $7 million per city, Pollstar said in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran was the No. 3 top-earning concert act since 2021.
Sheeran has said the tour promoter was ultimately responsible for the decision to drop Macklemore.
The Grammy winner was adamant in his Tuesday statement that he wouldn't be drawn into discussion of the war in Gaza, arguing that his fans don’t come to his shows to hear about these issues.
He also said he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge” before Macklemore was dropped. He insisted he would never willingly let down his fans or abandon the touring crew and others who rely on him to make a living.
While promoters and venues wield great power over concert tours, experts say an artist of Sheeran's magnitude generally has the final say about what happens concerning the shows.
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Associated Press journalist Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed.
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