Ed Sheeran Concerts Canceled At Robert Kraft’s Stadium

Ed Sheeran has canceled his upcoming concerts this weekend amid the ongoing drama after Macklemore was dropped as his opening act.

The “Shape of You” singer was slated to perform Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a venue owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots, but those shows are not happening. A rep told TMZ that the impending nor’easter forecast for the East Coast is to blame. 

“Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week. Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” a rep for Kraft told the outlet.

“The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff, and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority. Refunds are available now at the point of purchase. Ticket holders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded,” the statement went on. 

The cancellation comes after a turbulent few weeks for the tour. Macklemore was dropped as Sheeran’s opener after he shouted “Free Palestine” and showed Gaza footage from the stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a statement earlier this month, Kraft cited that performance, along with what he called Macklemore’s “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery,” as reasons for barring him from Gillette.

Macklemore blamed Kraft, a Jewish man, for orchestrating his removal from Sheeran’s tour and criticized his friend’s “I don’t take sides” stance, writing, “There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.” On Thursday, the rapper announced a “Free Palestine” tour for next month.

Sheeran has performed since all the drama started and issued a tearful apology to fans last weekend in Philadelphia. “I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” the singer told a crowd of concert attendees as anti-Israel protesters gathered outside the venue.

He called it “one of the worst weeks” of his life.

“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, about humanity, not politics,” Sheeran said. 

Sheeran also brought up the topic of canceling the tour. Through tears, he said, “In these situations, you really find out who your friends are.”

He went on, “I have so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people falling out of my life that I’ve known for years and years and years, people just kind of backing away … And then, you know, I’m there, and everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I’m feeling my friends and family, and people I know, abandon me.”

But he said he ultimately decided, “If this tour ends, love doesn’t win.”

While some fans may be skeptical about the shows being canceled this weekend, the proof will be whether the tour continues after that. According to the official Loop Tour site, Sheeran is scheduled to play in Atlanta on October 3, followed by six more shows, with the tour slated to end in Tampa on November 7. 

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