Ed Sheeran returned to the stage in Philadelphia on Saturday night and used the opening of his show to address the controversy that has surrounded his tour over the past week.
The singer performed solo at Lincoln Financial Field after Macklemore was removed from the tour and several other supporting acts later pulled out. The situation had left Sheeran facing heavy criticism ahead of the concert.
Before starting the show, Sheeran spoke directly to the crowd and admitted that he had made mistakes while dealing with the situation. He apologized to fans and said the past week had been extremely difficult for him.
The singer also addressed the wider controversy involving Gaza and freedom of speech. He said he had never wanted to be an activist musician but felt caught in the middle of an important and complicated issue.
Sheeran became visibly emotional during the speech, at one point describing the previous few days as one of the worst weeks of his life.
The controversy began after Macklemore was dropped from Sheeran’s tour following his public comments supporting Palestinians. Other performers, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe, subsequently left the tour, while Sheeran’s backing band also withdrew.
Sheeran told the Philadelphia crowd that he did not want to disappoint his fans and wanted his concerts to remain places where people could come together.
His emotional remarks marked the first major public response from Sheeran during a concert since the controversy erupted.