Ed Sheeran became emotional on stage in Philadelphia on Saturday, 19 September, as he addressed the war in Gaza and the controversy surrounding his Loop Tour. Performing at Lincoln Financial Field in his first concert since Macklemore was removed from the tour, Sheeran called the situation in Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate" and later said he had questioned whether he would perform again.
The concert followed a turbulent week for the British singer after Macklemore was dropped from his remaining US support dates. The rapper had said "Free Palestine" while opening for Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 September and again addressed the Israel-Palestinian conflict during the two-night engagement.