Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour stop in Philadelphia looked different Saturday night, and not in a fun way. The B stage was gone. Sheeran told the crowd he pulled it because he was afraid of what might be thrown at him if he stood in the middle of the room. The show also had no opening acts and a pushed-back start time of 8 p.m.
It’s the fallout from a brutal week. Macklemore was dropped from the US leg over his Free Palestine comments, a decision Sheeran says came from the promoter, Messina Touring Group, not from him. After that, Sheeran’s backing band and openers Fikas, Lukas Graham and Aarow Rowe all quit in solidarity. Sheeran broke down in tears onstage while addressing it, saying he’s made mistakes and that this wasn’t the usual Loop set.
However you feel about the politics of it all, there’s no denying the image: one of pop’s biggest stars changing his own show because he didn’t know if his audience was still with him. What happens to the rest of the Loop Tour is the next question.
Would you keep your ticket if your favorite artist’s show changed like this? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.