The show must go on. That must have been the thought circling Ed Sheeran’s mind following the fallout with Macklemore, his supporting acts and members of his touring band.
The “Thinking Out Loud” singer returned to the stage at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on September 19, following the backlash he received after Macklemore was removed from his tour.
Before continuing his Loop Tour, Sheeran delivered a statement addressing the controversy that had surrounded him over the past week.
Acknowledging his concert’s controversy
Appearing to read from a teleprompter, Sheeran began: “This is not usually how I open a show, but before I play some songs tonight I hope it’s OK if I say a few words about this last week.
“I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest I’m surprised, I’m not surprised.”
He acknowledged that the criticism he faced over the past week was about something “much more important.”
The artist added he knew he had to make difficult decisions, acknowledged that he had made mistakes, and apologized.
Sheeran also said his concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, adding that he was “deeply worried about the idea of venues pre-approving content of performers.”
“This happens in so many places I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world,” 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 and the most complex political issue on the planet.”
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Where he stands
He then addressed the situation between Israelis and Palestinians, explaining where he stood on the issue and saying he wanted his “music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics.”
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is a catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
The singer also said he was heartbroken by the “loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives,” adding that “the systemic justice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
In the end, Sheeran said his concerts remain a place for everyone, even those with opposing views.
“And these songs are about love, hope and unity,” he concluded.
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Introducing his new band
The 35-year-old singer-songwriter also introduced a new backing band that will accompany him following the withdrawal of his original band, Beoga, in solidarity with Macklemore’s cause.
According to Sheeran, he contacted his longtime collaborator, violinist Alicia Enstrom, and asked if she would be willing to perform with him, while cautioning her that joining him at the moment might not be a good idea.
He then asked if she knew any musicians who could join them for the tour, to which Enstrom agreed to recruit a new group.
The new band, composed of Mike on drums, CJ on keys, Eric on bass, Clay on guitar and Enstrom on violin, had only three days to learn the setlist before performing with Sheeran for the first time at his Philadelphia show.
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