Ed Sheeran has apologised to fans for making “mistakes” as he opened his first show since Macklemore was dropped from his tour for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.
The singer began his concert in Philadelphia by addressing the controversy that has since engulfed the tour and prompted all of his support acts to quit.
“I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran said.
He described the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks as “horrific” and called the situation in Gaza “unjustifiable”.
The singer has said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him. The row has seen ticket prices drop and sales decline for the remaining US leg of his Loop Tour.
Sheeran told the crowd that while he was used to facing criticism for his music, “this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions – and I am making mistakes – and I’m so, so sorry”.
He said he wanted to “address the question of where I stand in the situation in Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand”.
“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, not division”, he continued. “But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”
Sheeran said what happened in Israel on 7 October was “horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain”, and what was happening in Gaza was “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate”.
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian lives, of children’s lives, and this systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
He said he was working out how to contribute in a way that would help “victims of these terrible times – and listening and learning, because I do not know enough”.
