Ed Sheeran Opens Show With an Apology

Ed Sheeran opened a concert Saturday with comments about Gaza and the controversy swirling around his tour—and an apology. "I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry," Sheeran told a nearly full stadium at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, per the AP and USA Today. The famously apolitical performer said he's always wanted his music and shows to be about unity, "but this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore," he said. Sheeran called the 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel "horrific." But "what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate," he added, referring to the Israeli response. "My heart's been broken by the scale of devastation and the loss of civilians' lives. Children's lives."

The comments came after a week that began with rapper Macklemore, Sheeran's original opener, being dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments at a show in New Jersey. Supporting acts then dropped out in solidarity. "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," Sheeran said. He began the concert alone on stage with no opener, but was joined by other musicians later in the show. Sheeran has said he was not responsible for the decision to drop Macklemore, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran's tour is scheduled to play on Friday.