Ed Sheeran returns onstage after controversies
PHILADELPHIA—Ed Sheeran was 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.
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Macklemore, Sheeran’s original US opener, had been replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.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 Friday, tickets were still available for Saturday’s show, and his website did not list any replacement acts.
A coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations planned to protest outside the show Saturday afternoon.
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’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.
