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Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts have been cancelled due to severe weather warnings, the latest blow to a tour that has been surrounded by controversy since opener Macklemore was dropped for his pro-Palestinian comments on stage.
Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts have been cancelled due to severe weather warnings, the latest blow to a tour that has been surrounded by controversy since opener Macklemore was dropped for his pro-Palestinian comments on stage.
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Ed Sheeran, shown here performing during iHeartRadio KISS108's Jingle Ball 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts, will no longer be performing at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts this weekend due to bad weather.
Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts have been cancelled due to severe weather warnings, the latest blow to a tour that has been mired in controversy since opener Macklemore was dropped for on-stage pro-Palestinian comments. Now, Sheeran will no longer be performing at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium on Friday and Saturday.
Local weather reports are calling for a storm with gusts of wind up to 64 kilometres per hour in Foxborough, where the stadium is located, outside of Boston.
“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,” Messina Touring, Sheeran’s touring group, said innew tour of his own , with proceeds going to organizations supporting Palestinians. He slammed what he called “the billionaire class” deciding “which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear,” quipping that his schedule had recently “freed up a bit” since being dropped as an opener.
Macklemore performs in May 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Before being pulled from the roster, Macklemore had played two shows in early September at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium for the U.S. leg of Sheeran's Loop Tour. In speeches during those sets, he chanted, “Free Palestine” to a cheering crowd and expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and their home base Gillette Stadium, was one of those behind the push for Macklemore’s removal, according to Messina, Macklemore and Sheeran, who said heSheeran has said the decision was solely due to venues and promoters, and that they would not change their minds. In a statement about Macklemore's removal, Sheeran said he was "appalled by the conflict" but defended his choice not to take a public stance.that due to Macklemore’s New Jersey shows and “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric,” he believed performances at Gillette Stadium would “cross that line.
”Openers Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Finneas pulled out of the tour after Macklemore’s ousting, as did Sheeran’s backing band, Irish group Beoga.
“We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed. … Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation,” Graham wrote on Instagram. The Gillette tour dates would have been Sheeran's second and third shows since losing his supporting acts.
At his first show without the acts on Sept. 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Sheeran apologized to the crowd, saying he never wanted to be an "activist musician" and that "what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable.
" He added that he is "listening and learning. " Pro-Palestinian protesters outside the venue called on other fans to boycott the show, criticizing Sheeran's apolitical stance. Prices have also sagged for remaining tickets since the controversy began. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold signs during a Free Palestine protest before Sheeran's concert in Philadelphia on Sept. 19.
Prior to the total cancellation of the Massachusetts shows, the state's attorney general had said that consumers looking for refunds due to the lineup changes would be granted them.
“After hearing from nearly 200 consumers who were struggling to obtain refunds from Ticketmaster for Ed Sheeran’s shows at Gillette Stadium this weekend, my office jumped into action to demand that consumers be provided a clear path to get their money back if they no longer want to attend due to significant changes to the lineup,” Andrea Joy Campbell saidTicketmaster's policy allows for openers to change without requiring that audiences be eligible for refunds. But Campbell said after her office submitted a request to the company, it made an exception for the Sept. 25 and 26 shows.
Culture critic David Dennis Jr. joins Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to break down Ed Sheeran's onstage comments during his first concert after removing Macklemore from the tour. Alexandra Mae Jones is a senior writer for CBC News based in Toronto. She has written on a variety of topics, from health to pop culture to breaking news, and previously reported for CTV News and the Toronto Star. She joined CBC in 2024.
You can reach her at alexandra.mae.jones@cbc.caMacklemore cut from Ed Sheeran U.S. tour after onstage 'Free Palestine' remarks
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