Ed Sheeran delays start time of Philadelphia concert amid Macklemore fallout

Ed Sheeran will not take the stage at Lincoln Financial Field until nearly three hours after the originally advertised start time Saturday, the latest disruption to hit his Loop Tour after the British singer-songwriter’s team removed rapper Macklemore from the bill over a “Free Palestine” speech earlier this month.

The Philadelphia show, once slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. to make room for opening acts, has been pushed to 8 p.m. after several of Mr. Sheeran’s remaining support acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. Resale ticket prices for the show have fallen more than 50% over the past week, with the cheapest seats dipping below $60 by Saturday morning.

The controversy began when Macklemore, performing as an opener at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5, shouted “Free Palestine” from the stage and performed his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall.” The title refers to Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which pro-Palestinian student protesters occupied and renamed in 2024 in honor of Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.

Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner whose Kraft Group operates Gillette Stadium — an upcoming tour stop — said he would not allow Macklemore to perform there, citing what he called a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric tied to the rapper. Mr. Kraft said in his statement that the conduct had been “deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.” Other venues on the remaining schedule indicated they would follow Mr. Kraft’s lead, and tour promoter Messina Touring Group ultimately made the broader call to drop Macklemore from the rest of the U.S. run entirely.

Three acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity. Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham, who were slated to replace Macklemore as openers on the remaining U.S. dates, both pulled out, as did the Irish band Beoga, which had been performing as Mr. Sheeran’s supporting band during portions of each show rather than serving as a standard opener. Finneas, who was booked to open for Sheeran’s South American leg later this year rather than the U.S. shows, withdrew from that segment of the tour as well.

Mr. Sheeran, who has largely avoided political statements in his career, wrote on Instagram that the decision to remove Macklemore belonged to the tour’s promoters and venues, not to him. “I am not complicit,” he said, adding that he had tried to broker a resolution between the two sides.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations criticized the removal in an open letter to the Philadelphia Eagles, which manage day-to-day operations at the city-owned stadium, and other stakeholders. “This is about more than one artist or one concert,” the group wrote, framing the episode as a free-speech concern, and has filed a right-to-know request seeking records on who directed Macklemore’s removal.

A pro-Palestinian rally is planned outside the stadium beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Philadelphia police said they are coordinating with venue and event organizers to adjust staffing for both the protest and the concert, while SEPTA said it would add extra Broad Street Line trains and transit personnel at NRG Station. No replacement openers had been announced as of Friday.