Ed Sheeran said he altered the stage design for his Philadelphia concert on Saturday because he feared members of the audience might throw objects at him.
The Shape of You singer told concertgoers that he had abandoned plans to perform from a B stage, making significant changes to the setup before the show began.
“At this point in the show, I usually go to a B stage and I’m going to be totally honest with you, I didn’t know what this audience would be like,” Sheeran said.
“I didn’t know if I would have things thrown at me. I didn’t know if people would be angry at me, so today is not the usual Loop show.
“I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle. And I will admit that.”
Security was a clear priority at the event. Philadelphia police had previously told TMZ that “appropriate measures” would be in place to protect everyone, while the concert itself appeared to pass without incident.
Sheeran also took the stage with a new backing band after his former collaborators, Irish group Beoga, departed the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore’s controversial exit.
Ed Sheeran said he changed the stage layout for his Philadelphia concert on Saturday because he feared the audience might throw things at him
The concert came after pro-Palestine protesters gathered outside the venue before Sheeran performed
“There are certain songs that just don’t work on the loop pedal,” Sheeran explained. “So, when my friends dropped off this show, I was thinking, ‘How am I going to keep the show the same? And how am I going to get musicians to stand on stage with me in a week where no one wants to stand on stage with me?’”
Introducing violinist Alicia Enstrom, he said he contacted a longtime friend for help. “I rang up a friend of mine, she’s a superb human and I toured with her all of last year [on my Mathematics Tour] and the one the year before that.
“I said to her, ‘Would you stand on stage with me?’ And she said yes. I asked her if she knew some musician friends and she said yes, and they’ve had three days to learn these songs.”
Before the musicians joined him, Sheeran thanked them for agreeing to perform despite the backlash surrounding him.
“They said yes to being onstage with the knowledge that the world thought I was a certain type of person,” he said. “They said yes with the knowledge that the world may hate them too for standing on stage with me, and I am so grateful for them being here tonight and standing on stage with me in front of you guys.”
Sheeran is known for performing live without a traditional backing band, building songs with a loop pedal. He is usually joined by musicians for tracks including Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan.
During another emotional moment, Sheeran appeared close to tears as he apologised to fans over his handling of the Israel-Palestine controversy, which has put his tour under intense pressure.
He admitted that he did not know whether future dates would proceed amid the backlash and boycott threats linked to the decision to remove Macklemore as the opening act after the rapper voiced support for Palestine.
Sheeran said he had “found out who his friends are” and added: “I cannot hide how I feel… any more.”
The singer acknowledged making “mistakes” in his response to the controversy. He also moved away from his earlier promise to keep politics out of his concerts, describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable” while calling Hamas’s October 7 attacks “horrific.”
Making his first appearance onstage since the Loop Tour became embroiled in the dispute, the father of two said he had “never wanted to be an activist musician.” However, he said the severity of the criticism had forced him to “take and make difficult decisions.”
He said: ‘I really didn’t know whether this tour would be carrying on. In these situations, you really find out who your friends are and it’s been a weird week. I just feel like it happened very quickly.’
Ed said his heart had been broken ‘by the scale of devastation and loss of lives’ and became emotional as he told a cheering crowd: ‘I’m so grateful you are here with me tonight.’
He apologised and became visibly emotional again at the end of the show for bringing politics to his concert – something he had vowed not to do.
Ed said at the end of the night: ‘The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn’t about music and I had to talk.
During the recent concert, the Shape Of You hitmaker told the crowd that he had to drastically alter the performance set up. He was initially going to perform on a B Stage but decided against it
Ed returned to the stage in Philadelphia for the first time since 43-year-old Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was axed from the tour
‘I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say.’
Ed had previously said that ‘those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum’.
The gig at the Lincoln Financial Field marked the first time the star returned to the stage since the rapper Macklemore was dropped as his opening act after taking a vocal stance in favour of a ‘Free Palestine’.
In a solemn speech at the start of the concert, Ed said: ‘I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity and not division, about humanity and not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.’
‘What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
‘What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,’ Sheeran said in a video captured and shared online by a concertgoer.
‘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,’ he declared.
Ed told the audience that he plans to ‘continue my current tour’ despite each of his openers dropping out in solidarity with Macklemore.
By the end of the show, Ed broke down into tears, telling fans: ‘I’m so grateful. The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now. This gives hope. This gives hope.’
The crowd broke out in applause as Ed appeared deeply moved.
‘My shows are about this,’ he said. ‘They are about people coming together that don’t know each other, that have different beliefs. They’re about unity. They’re about love. They’re about family.’
As fans cheered, Ed vowed that the controversy would not stop him from performing.
‘You’re jumping around like maniacs with each other and having fun,’ he said. ‘And I will never stop doing this. I will never stop doing this. I love doing this so much.’
It came after Macklemore said Ed had spoken to Robert Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts through his holding company, the Kraft Group.
‘Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,’ he wrote.
On Tuesday, Ed released his own statement on Instagram, saying it wasn’t his decision to remove Macklemore from the tour, but rather the promoter’s.
‘I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living,’ the British singer-songwriter added.
Sheeran said in the lengthy statement that he has ‘personal views on this devastating conflict’ but made the choice ‘not to speak publicly’.
He has faced criticism from other artists, including Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, who bashed him on social media for not taking a stand against the decision.
Ed Sheeran’s cousin last week branded the pop star a ‘coward’ for dropping pro-Palestine Macklemore.
Jethro Sheeran, who at 44 is nine years older than his cousin, responded to the row by saying he was ‘ashamed’ of his relative.
In a furious post on Facebook, he said: ‘Finally it’s all coming out! I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he’s done.
‘Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He’s not a good person, I don’t like his music so I can’t say he’s even a good artist.’
Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother, pulled out of his scheduled appearances in upcoming tour dates, stating that ‘artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed’
Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas, pulled out of his scheduled appearances in upcoming tour dates, stating that ‘artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed’.
Tour openers including Aaron Rowe and the band Lukas Graham, along with Sheeran’s long-time backing folk band Beoga, also withdrew from the endeavor.
In his address to fans on Saturday, Sheeran stated: ‘I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry.’
He said: ‘I don’t want to disappoint fans and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician. But this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech in the most complex political issue on the planet.’
The pop star continued: ‘Our concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honouring my commitment to my fans is also completely central to who I am and that is why I’m here tonight, on my own, and continuing my own tour.’
He went on to say: ‘I am deeply worried about the idea that venues pre-approved content performance. This happens in so many places that I’ve gone around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.’
