Ed Sheeran forced to make major concert change after openers drop out amid Macklemore drama

Ed Sheeran has changed the start time of his upcoming concert in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after being left without any opening acts following Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour over his “Free Palestine” speech.

The show at Lincoln Financial Field was initially scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, but the start time has been pushed back to 8 p.m. — when Sheeran was originally set to take the stage after his openers — according to the Daily Mail.

The remaining North American tour dates are still slated to begin at 5:30 p.m., with Sheeran yet to announce replacement opening acts.

The original openers — Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga — all dropped out of the tour Tuesday in solidarity with Macklemore.

Finneas, for his part, wrote in an Instagram post, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. … I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Macklemore was removed from the lineup after shouting “Free Palestine” and performing his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall” during his set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.

The track is named after Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza.

The “Thrift Shop” rapper addressed his firing in a statement shared to Instagram, claiming that Sheeran and his team “made the decision to remove [him] from the ‘Loop’ tour.”

Macklemore wrote that Sheeran, whom he said he considers a “brother,” told him that Robert Kraft — owner of the Kraft Group, which operates Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts — said Macklemore would not be allowed to perform there.

Sheeran, meanwhile, addressed the situation in a statement on Instagram, clarifying that Macklemore’s removal from the tour was the “promoter’s decision,” not his own, because the emcee’s contract was “with the promoter” rather than Sheeran.

The “Shape of You” singer said he tried to “build a bridge” between the two sides, but ultimately, the issue came down to the way “Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance.”

Sheeran has since been called “selfish,” “malicious” and “cunning” by his own cousin, Jethro Sheeran, who took to Instagram Thursday to accuse the musician of being a “bad human” who has “only cared about himself.”

“He puts out [a] fake narrative that’s calculated just to keep everyone happy so he can do big, private gigs and keep brand deals, etc. I agree with all of the comments he’s [gotten] and [the] bad press,” Jethro wrote in part.

Fans have also demanded refunds for their concert tickets, with some saying ticketing platforms can “sell them to someone else” following Macklemore’s removal from the Loop Tour.