Ed Sheeran Addresses Gaza at Start of Solo Philadelphia Show
Virgil's Tomb by Moonlight, with Silius Italicus Declaiming — Joseph Wright (Wright of Derby), 1779
What Happened
Ed Sheeran opened his Philadelphia concert Saturday calling the situation in Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable," then said he wants his shows to be about unity, not politics. He played without an opener after his Philadelphia supporting acts, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe — who had replaced Macklemore — withdrew this week following Macklemore's removal from the tour for pro-Palestinian remarks onstage. Separately, Finneas, who was set to join Sheeran's South America tour, also dropped out this week.
Why It Matters
Sheeran didn't drop Macklemore — he has said the tour promoter made that call, at the urging of Robert Kraft — yet he still ended up the one person everyone's watching for what he'll say. Fans outside the stadium and fans inside it walked away with opposite takeaways from the same sentence. Macklemore's pledging $1 million to Palestinian relief; Kraft and Sheeran have reportedly matched with $2 million apiece, with no word yet on where it goes.
What's Next
Sheeran's South America leg is still booked without Finneas, and no replacement openers are listed yet.