Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) [US], September 21 (ANI): Ed Sheeran broke down in tears during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, saying he felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour.
Reflecting on what he described as “a weird week”, Sheeran told the audience that people had urged him to cancel the tour and that several people close to him had backed away, as per Page Six.
“In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It’s been a weird week,” he said, according to video captured by a fan, adding, “It happened very quickly. At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour and so many people I’ve known for years and years and years, they’re kind of backing away,” as cited by Page Six.
Sheeran said the continued ticket sales for his Philadelphia show gave him a different perspective.
“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 said, adding, “Everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I am feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me.”
The singer, 35, then turned his attention to the thousands of fans in attendance.
“I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me,” he said, adding, “People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this.”
Sheeran described the concert as the best show of his life, while calling the preceding week one of the worst he had experienced. He later became emotional while describing the love he felt from the crowd, saying he had initially been worried about his safety and whether he would be booed.
“The world is a scary place right now, America is a scary place right now,” he said, before pointing towards the audience and adding, “This gives hope.”
The emotional appearance came after all of Sheeran’s opening acts quit the tour, including his backing band, in solidarity with Macklemore following the rapper’s pro-Palestine comments.
Sheeran also revealed that he had altered the concert setup because of safety concerns. He said he removed the B stage because he feared what could happen if he stood in the middle of the audience area.
“At this point in the show, to be honest, I usually go out on the B stage,” Sheeran said, adding, “I apologise that today is not the usual Loop show. I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle. And I will admit that,” as per Page Six.
While Sheeran did not identify the family members he was referring to, his cousin Jethro Sheeran publicly criticised him on Instagram on Thursday.
“Finally it’s all coming out! I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed he’s done. Finally the world and all his fans see through him. He’s not a good person, I don’t like his music so I can’t say he’s even a good artist,” Jethro wrote.
He also alleged that Sheeran had treated him poorly and referred to his experiences with the singer as the basis for his opinion.
“He’s honestly a selfish individual with malicious, cunning ways… I’m his first blood cousin and he screwed me over, made fun of my mental health and mental health in general,” Jethro wrote.
Jethro further described his cousin as “shady” and a “coward”, while stating, “In my opinion he is a bad human. Just my opinion from my experiences.”
The comments came as the dispute over Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour continued. Macklemore had previously said Sheeran was pressured by stadium owners to drop him following his “Free Palestine” speech.
Jethro, however, said he believed Sheeran made the decision himself.
Meanwhile, Macklemore has donated the USD 1 million he said he earned from the Loop Tour before being dropped from it to Palestinian relief efforts.
He also called on Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group, to match the donation.
Kraft, who owns Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and was among the stadium owners who refused to let Macklemore perform following his “Free Palestine” speech, subsequently donated USD 2 million after Sheeran asked him to.
In a statement regarding the donation, Kraft said he had dedicated his life to bringing people together and believed that “all lives are worth protecting.”
Sheeran is scheduled to perform next at Gillette Stadium on September 25 and September 26. (ANI)
Ed Sheeran breaks down on stage, says friends and family ‘abandoned’ him amid Macklemore controversy
