It’s about 9:30 p.m. at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, roughly an hour after Ed Sheeran delivered a surprisingly lengthy four-minute speech on the controversy that has engulfed his tour since Macklemore was dropped as an opening act following his pro-Palestinian remarks. But if the decision — and, by then, Sheeran’s response to it — has ignited outrage online, there was little of it to be found inside the stadium. At the top of the show, Sheeran doubled down on the position he took in an online post earlier in the week.
He went on to say he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” describing the suffering caused by the war as a “human tragedy,” while explaining that he has generally sought to keep his concerts focused on “unity, joy, escapism, love” rather than his own political views. At one point later in the show, he wept while making his comments. As expected, those online are taking aim at everything from his reliance on a teleprompter to his continued use of “neutral language.” His emotional speech later in the show drew even more backlash online.
In these situations, you really find out who your friends are.” Many on social media used sarcasm to lambaste Sheeran for making the conversation about himself — “Everyone fails to consider the important thing about the genocide: Ed Sheeran’s feelings,” one X user wrote — but others noted the stark difference between Sheeran’s remarks to Macklemore’s statement in which the rapper emphasized his privilege: “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim,” the rapper wrote.
Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families. The victims are the Palestinian people.” Sheeran’s fans inside the stadium have a different perspective. The demonstration, which drew around 100 participants, included organizers from Writers Against the War on Gaza, the Boycott Cooknsolo Coalition and Shut Down Day & Zimmermann.
But if the goal was to disrupt concertgoers or create enough commotion to trigger a visible security response, the protest fell short. Only a handful of passing cars honked in support along the quiet road, and the speakers — many with their faces covered by masks and patterned keffiyehs — hardly needed the megaphones they used to reach the modest crowd. The protesters were successful, however, in attracting the press — few of which would likely cover a local demonstration in South Philadelphia under ordinary circumstances.
Dozens of outlets, ranging from CNN and ITV News to PMC’s very own Variety and Hollywood Reporter, were camped outside the NRG train station. Many remarked on the small turnout. Once inside the venue, a security guard effectively rolled his eyes at what he deemed an “attempted cancellation” of the chart-topping artist.
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