Ed Sheeran Says Friends and Family Are 'Abandoning' Him as Macklemore Row Explodes on Stage

Ed Sheeran choked back tears on stage in Philadelphia on Saturday, 19 September, telling an estimated 50,000 fans he felt friends, family and long-time colleagues were 'abandoning' him amid the row over Macklemore's removal from his US tour.

He said he had been urged to pull the show but chose to go ahead, telling the crowd: 'Everyone's telling me to cancel, and I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me.' Sheeran has insisted the decision to drop Macklemore was taken by the tour promoter, a stance he repeated in Philadelphia.

Ed Sheeran Addresses the Loop Tour Controversy

Sheeran opened the show by telling fans: 'I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry for them.' He said he had never wanted to be 'an activist musician' but had been drawn into what he called 'the most complex political issue on the planet'.

He addressed the wider Israel-Palestine conflict directly, calling the Hamas attack at the Nova music festival 'horrific' while describing the devastation in Gaza as 'catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate'.

'My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian's lives, children's lives,' he told the crowd, adding that the situation in the West Bank 'cannot be overlooked'.

Jethro Sheeran Publicly Criticises His Cousin

Sheeran's cousin, Jethro Sheeran, who performs as Alonestar, separately criticised him on social media in the days before the Philadelphia show. Jethro described his cousin in highly personal terms, writing that he was 'ashamed' of Ed and accusing him of behaviour he characterised as 'shady', 'selfish' and driven by 'malicious cunning ways'.

Jethro also disputed Macklemore's account of events, alleging Ed had 'wronged me, ridiculing my mental health and mental health in general', and writing: 'In my opinion, he's a bad human.' Page Six reported the remarks as Jethro's own characterisation of his cousin, rather than an independently verified account of what took place between them.

Sheeran Sought Kraft's Help for $2 Million Humanitarian Pledge

Macklemore has said he intends to donate the $1 million (about £744,800) he earned from the tour to Palestinian relief efforts, and publicly challenged Kraft, the New England Patriots owner who controls Gillette Stadium, to match the sum.

Kraft said he had committed $2 million (£1.4 million) to humanitarian aid after Sheeran personally asked him to contribute, though the report did not specify a confirmed recipient organisation or confirm the funds had been transferred.

Kraft said the commitment reflected his long-standing view that 'all lives are worth protecting', a remark he made before Macklemore's own pledge was announced publicly. Sheeran's tour is next scheduled to return to Kraft's Gillette Stadium on 25 and 26 September.

A Small Protest and a Defiant Close

A small pro-Palestinian demonstration took place near the stadium as the Philadelphia show went ahead, though it did not disrupt the concert itself. Sheeran told the crowd he had scrapped his usual walk onto the B-stage, saying: 'I removed the B stage because I was apprehensive about what might occur if I stood in the centre.'

He said he had watched ticket sales for the date rather than braced for cancellations, telling fans: 'In the back of my mind, I saw the ticket sales for this gig and I didn't see cancellations, I saw people buying tickets for this gig.'

He closed the night by telling the crowd he saw '50,000 people who haven't abandoned me', before adding: 'This concert is still a place where everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views... but they can all agree on singing these songs.'