‘I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me’: Ed Sheeran breaks down during concert

Ed Sheeran broke down in tears during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, saying he felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years amid the controversy over Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour.

Calling the past week “weird”, Sheeran told the crowd that several people close to him had urged him to cancel the tour and had subsequently distanced themselves from him.

“In these situations you really find out who your friends are,” Sheeran said, according to footage recorded by a concertgoer.

The singer said he had been unsettled by the response surrounding the tour but found reassurance in the fact that fans continued to buy tickets for his Philadelphia show.

“Everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I am feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me,” he said.

Turning towards the audience, Sheeran said he saw 50,000 people who had continued to support him.

“People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this,” he said.

Sheeran later described the Philadelphia concert as the best show of his life, despite calling the preceding week one of the worst he had experienced. He became emotional again while talking about the support from the crowd, revealing that he had been concerned 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 concert also differed from Sheeran’s usual Loop Tour production. He said he had removed the B stage, which normally takes him into the middle of the audience, because of safety concerns.

“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,” he said.

The emotional performance came after all of Sheeran’s opening acts, including his backing band, reportedly quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore following the rapper’s public comments in support of Palestine.

Macklemore had claimed that Sheeran was pressured by stadium owners to remove him from the tour following his “Free Palestine” speech. Sheeran has not publicly identified the family members he referred to during the Philadelphia concert.

However, his cousin Jethro Sheeran criticised him publicly on Instagram on Thursday, saying he was ashamed of his cousin and alleging that Sheeran had treated him poorly. Jethro also accused the singer of making fun of his mental health and described him as selfish and dishonest, while stressing that the comments reflected his own experiences and opinion.

The dispute has continued alongside Macklemore’s fundraising efforts for Palestinian relief. The rapper said he donated USD 1 million that he had earned from the Loop Tour before being removed from it and urged Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and the Kraft Group, to match the contribution.

Kraft later donated USD 2 million after Sheeran asked him to contribute. In a statement, Kraft said he had dedicated his life to bringing people together and believed that all lives were worth protecting.

Sheeran is scheduled to perform at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 25 and 26.