Ed Sheeran's Gillette Stadium shows canceled by nor'easter as tour controversy deepens

Ed Sheeran's two concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts — already at the center of a national debate over free speech and the conflict in Gaza — have been canceled, this time by a nor'easter bearing down on the East Coast with wind gusts forecast to reach up to 60 mph in coastal areas.

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.— Messina Touring Group, tour promoter

The shows, part of Sheeran's Loop Tour, were scheduled for Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26. Ticket holders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded; others can seek refunds at the point of purchase, according to Messina Touring Group.

The cancellations cap a turbulent stretch for the tour. Earlier this month, rapper Macklemore — who had been an opening act — was removed from all remaining U.S. dates after he chanted 'Free Palestine' and performed his protest track 'Hind's Hall' at Sheeran's MetLife Stadium shows in New Jersey on September 4. The Israeli-American Council gathered signatures in a petition demanding his removal, after which Messina Touring Group announced that Macklemore had been dropped from the lineup, citing venue requirements that he not appear.

Macklemore, in a public statement, said Sheeran told him that Gillette Stadium owner and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had opposed his appearances and rallied other venue owners. According to Macklemore, Sheeran relayed an ultimatum: if Macklemore stayed on the tour, those venues would not host the shows.

Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.— Macklemore

Kraft confirmed he had moved to bar Macklemore from Gillette Stadium, citing what he described as antisemitic rhetoric and imagery, as well as Macklemore's MetLife statements. Sheeran said the decision was not his.

Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore's recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line.— Robert Kraft, owner, Gillette Stadium

This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas.— Robert Kraft, owner, Gillette Stadium

Macklemore's removal triggered a cascade: all of the tour's other opening acts — Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas, and Sheeran's backing band Beoga — withdrew in solidarity. Sheeran performed solo at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia last weekend, opening with an apology.

I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.— Ed Sheeran

At those Philadelphia shows, Sheeran spoke directly to the conflict from the stage. He said that "what happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain," and that "what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate."

According to Billboard, Sheeran's remarks referred to two events: the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and more than 250 taken hostage, and Israel's ensuing military campaign in Gaza, during which the Gaza Health Ministry has reported more than 73,000 Palestinians killed and more than 170,000 injured.

The controversy had already generated a consumer backlash over refunds. Days before the Gillette shows, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said her office had received more than 170 complaints from ticket holders struggling to obtain refunds after the lineup changed significantly. Her office contacted Ticketmaster, which then agreed to allow refunds for tickets to the Gillette shows.

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, Massachusetts Attorney General

Sheeran's shows were not alone in falling to the storm. The Global Citizen Festival in New York's Central Park — canceled for the first time in 14 years — was also called off, as was the All Things Go Festival at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. An AC/DC concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was postponed hours before it was set to begin. The nor'easter is expected to affect states from Virginia to Rhode Island, with coastal flood alerts covering 33 million people, according to NBC News.

Macklemore, meanwhile, announced a 'Free Palestine Tour' in Europe for October. Sheeran's next scheduled date is October 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It is unclear whether the Gillette shows will be rescheduled.

Why it matters — The cancellations leave tens of thousands of ticket holders seeking refunds and mark the latest disruption to a tour that has become a flashpoint in the national debate over free speech, antisemitism, and the Gaza conflict.

Sources differ on Why Macklemore was removed from the tour: Macklemore says Kraft rallied stadium owners and gave Sheeran an ultimatum, forcing his removal. (foxnews.com) vs Kraft says the decision was based on Macklemore's onstage statements and what he describes as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. (foxnews.com) vs Sheeran says the decision was not his — venues warned they would not host shows with Macklemore on the lineup. (usatoday.com)

Reported by thehill.com, nbcnews.com, foxnews.com, cnn.com, usatoday.com, ca.billboard.com