Ed Sheeran has cancelled his next two concerts amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore being axed from his Loop tour.
The singer, 35, is facing global backlash for continuing with his tour despite his good friend Macklemore being dropped over his pro-Palestine comments.
He broke down in tears onstage earlier this week and said he feels “abandoned” by friends and family, as his four other opening acts quit in solidarity with Macklemore.
Sheeran had been due to perform on Friday and Saturday night at billionaire Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts - but stage construction was paused on Thursday due to a huge storm set to hit New England, according to TMZ.
The storm is expected to bring heavy wind and several inches of rain, starting on Friday night, and could pose a danger to faint in the open-air stadium, sources claimed.
A statement from Messina Touring, which is organising Sheeran’s Loop Tour, read: “Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium.
“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. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.”
Almost 200 people have been struggling to obtain refunds from Ticketmaster for Sheeran’s shows, prompting Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campell to step in and demand Ticketmaster give people their money back.
It is understood that those ticket holders were not seeking refunds over the weather but because of Macklemore being dumped.
Pro-Palestine protests have been staged outside Sheeran’s shows and are planned for his upcoming gigs.
The controversy began when Macklemore gave a two-minute speech at his New Jersey show earlier this month, saying he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”.
He then launched into protest song Hind’s Hall, which condemns Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and was dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. Images of the devastation in Gaza were shown whilst he performed.
Macklemore told the crowd that a large reason why he signed on to the tour was for the opportunity to speak on the ongoing conflict.
The following day, at his second appearance at the MetLife Stadium, he reiterated his previous message with a direct address to Jewish members in the audience.
“Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace, love; for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality,” he said.
Shortly after his remarks, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition asking Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates.
Macklemore then announced he would no longer be playing the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop tour.
He said stadium owner Kraft had organised the boycott, rallying other stadium owners who ultimately gave Sheeran the ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues”.
“Ed was in a f***** up position,” the rapper wrote. “He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before.”
Last week, Sheeran insisted he was “not complicit” in Macklemore’s exit and was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” but was not willing to “abandon” his crew and support acts on the tour.
He broke down in tears onstage on Monday and said: “I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandoned me.”
He added that he had made “mistakes” in how he handled the Macklemore fallout and wasn’t sure if the tour would continue.
Chef and Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain accused him of weaponising “white tears” while Sheeran’s estranged cousin Jethro called him a “bad human” and a “coward”.
Sources have claimed he is “terrified” at the thought of protests at his upcoming shows and is reportedly considering going “totally off-grid” and taking a break from music altogether.
Macklemore has donated his one million-dollar (£747,328) tour net earnings to charities supporting Palestinian people, and challenged Kraft, who reportedly called for his removal from the tour, to do the same.
He has also announced a Free Palestine tour in Europe to help provide humanitarian aid and support for people in Palestine.
