"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
US Edition
"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
Ed Sheeran has told fans he is sorry for the “mistakes” he has made while navigating the fallout from the Israel-Gaza conflict and the removal of Macklemore from his American tour.
The singer's remarks came at his first show since Macklemore was cut from the line-up over pro-Palestinian comments made from the stage. Several other support acts have since walked away from the run.
“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.”
Criticism is nothing new to him, Sheeran said, but he drew a line between past complaints and the current storm, which turns on politics and human suffering rather than 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 wanted his position understood, he said, and insisted that going ahead with the concert should not be read as backing either side of the conflict.
“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.”
Staying quiet about the humanitarian toll, he added, was no longer something he could do.
“But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”
He denounced the Hamas-led assault of 7 October 2023 while calling what has since unfolded in Gaza indefensible.
“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.”
The number of civilians killed, children among them, had shaken him, and he also pointed to conditions in the West Bank.
“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 is still working out how best to help, he said, and admitted there is a great deal he does not yet understand.
“I am 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.”
Visibly moved, Sheeran told the crowd his shows should stay open to everyone, whatever they believe.
“It’s still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views.”
He admitted the episode had left him questioning whether the tour, or his career, would go on at all.
“I did not know whether this tour would be carrying on, and whether I even wanted to be an artist at all.”
He came back out, he said, because of what he owes his audience. He also voiced unease at the prospect of venues vetting acts and material in advance.
“I am deeply worried by the idea that venues would ‘pre-approve’ content or performers.”
Macklemore lost his slot after performing a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian demonstrators. From the stage he called the Gaza death toll a genocide — a characterisation Israel rejects — and said that faulting Israel was not the same as faulting Jewish people.
Messina Touring Group said the decision came down to the venues: some, Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts among them, would not stage the concerts with him on the bill. Robert Kraft, who owns the stadium and the New England Patriots, confirmed the rapper had been barred from appearing there during Sheeran's shows. Kraft, who is Jewish, said Macklemore's words amounted to hate speech and accused him of telling only part of the story while saying nothing about Hamas.
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish act Lukas Graham and backing band Beoga all left the tour in solidarity with him.
Demand for the remaining American dates has slipped, with seats reportedly changing hands for as little as $32. Some ticket-holders said they had been refunded, though neither Ticketmaster nor Messina Touring Group would confirm that refunds were going out.
Outside the Philadelphia show, demonstrators gathered, a few of them waving Palestinian flags. The concert itself went ahead. One protester, who gave his name as Cooper, said he had come to stand with Palestinians.
“We need more people like Macklemore and other artists who have a voice, who have a public platform, to be able to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people and their struggle for liberation, especially in the United States.”
Concertgoers who spoke to reporters were largely receptive, saying Sheeran had handled both the conflict and the free-speech question with care. One said he had covered “both sides nicely”, while another described the speech as “very sincere.”
The rest of the run takes Sheeran through venues across North and South America.
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