Ed Sheeran’s shows at stadium owned by pro-Israel Robert Kraft cancelled

Ed Sheeran’s shows at stadium owned by pro-Israel Robert Kraft cancelled Submitted by MEE and agencies on Sat, 09/26/2026 - 03:04 Concert promoter Messina Touring said the concerts were called off due to severe weather warnings Ed Sheeran's US tour been overshadowed by widespread international backlash for dropping his pro-Palestinian support act, Macklemore.

(AFP) Off Ed Sheeran's weekend shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the venue owned by pro-Israel billionaire Robert Kraft who had pushed for Macklemore's removal from the tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks, have been cancelled.

"Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium," concert promoter Messina Touring posted on Instagram on Friday morning.

"The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as a top priority. " Messina Touring said that any tickets purchased through Ticketmaster would be automatically refunded.

Outside of Ticketmaster, refunds are currently available at the point of purchase.

The British pop icon’s American tour has been overshadowed by widespread international backlash for dropping his pro-Palestinian support act, Macklemore.

In Philadelphia, where he performed for the first time since Macklemore was taken off the tour, Sheeran apologised to fans and said that what Israel is doing in Gaza is "unjustifiable".

All supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran tour in protest of Macklemore’s removal Read More » "I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I'm so, so sorry," Sheeran told his audience.

Macklemore was to open for Sheeran, but Kraft had threatened to cancel Sheeran's stadium concerts if he stayed, and lobbied other stadium owners to join him in applying pressure.

n his own statement, Kraft did not deny that he had corralled other wealthy stadium owners to threaten Sheeran and silence Macklemore.

He said his decision was based on Macklemore’s “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey… that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.

” “I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts,” added Kraft, saying that his goal was “peace for all people, an end to suffering and an end to all hate.

” At the start of the concert at Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran called Israel's war on Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate".

According to US media reports, the start time of Sheeran's concert was pushed back by two and a half hours because of the withdrawal of all the opening acts, and Sheeran performed solo.

Macklemore to begin 'Free Palestine' concert next month On Thursday, Macklemore announced he would headline his own "Free Palestine" concert tour that will start next month.

The tour will begin in Dublin, Paris and London, Macklemore said in an Instagram post.

US dates and additional performers will be announced later, he said, adding that proceeds would be donated to organisations that support the Palestinian people.

"Being apolitical during a genocide doesn't work anymore," he said. "People are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community.

To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.

" A Palestinian artist paints a mural honouring US rapper Macklemore in a building damaged during the war, in Gaza City, on 19 September 2026.

(Reuters) "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free Palestine,'" he said on stage.

Macklemore said owners of stadiums where Sheeran was set to play had objected to those remarks. Macklemore has ⁠been an outspoken critic of Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank.

"If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it's that something has shifted over the last three years," Macklemore said on Thursday.

"There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.

" "What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage," he added.

"When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention. " What led to Macklemore’s removal?

It started when Macklemore, wearing a keffiyeh, performed in front of more than 80,000 people at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month, speaking openly in support of Palestinians while singing his pro-Palestine anthem "Hind's Hall".

American Israeli lobby groups then launched a petition to pressure Sheeran to drop Macklemore as his opening act from future tour dates.

The rapper made a public statement last week on social media, announcing that he had been removed from Sheeran's tour due to an ultimatum from the pro-Israel billionaire and owner of the Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft.

Pro-Israel billionaire Robert Kraft led campaign to drop Macklemore from Ed Sheeran tour Read More » "After my family, there is nothing I'm more passionate about than the State of Israel and my Jewish identity," Kraft said in Israel in 2019.

Macklemore's announcement not only drew huge support from fans and the international community, but also led all the opening acts on Sheeran's Loop Tour to withdraw in support of the rapper and the Palestinian people.

Among them were Finneas, a Grammy-winning musician and brother of singer Billie Eilish; the Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga; and the Danish band Lukas Graham.

"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," Finneas wrote on Instagram last Tuesday, adding: "I stand with Palestine and its people.

" In the days that followed, Macklemore said he would donate the entire $1m he earned from the previous concerts of Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians.

Following his pledge, children's YouTube creator Ms Rachel announced she would also donate $1m to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund.

"I will match Macklemore's donation, and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza," she said.

Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0