Ed Sheeran thanked fans in Tampa for their support as he prepared to take his tour to South America, while backlash continued over Macklemore’s removal following pro-Palestinian remarks made on stage.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old singer shared video of himself taking several bows before a cheering crowd in Tampa, Florida, and expressed his gratitude to the audience.
“Thank you Tampa, thats(sic) the end of the North American stadium tour, see you soon Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico x,” he wrote in the caption.
Sheeran has one remaining US performance scheduled, with a November 9 show in Yellow Springs, Ohio, before traveling to Chile.
The South American leg will continue through Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil before concluding at Mexico City’s Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes on December 11.
The announcement comes weeks after Sheeran’s tour became embroiled in controversy when rapper Macklemore was removed as an opening act after making pro-Palestinian comments during support performances at Sheeran’s New Jersey shows.
Ed Sheeran said his tour would now continue to South America as he thanked Tampa fans for their support. (Source: Ed Sheeran/Instagram)
Sheeran has faced backlash since Macklemore was removed from the tour over pro-Palestinian remarks made on stage.
Macklemore was dropped from the tour after Robert Kraft, the owner of US stadiums, accused him of hate speech over comments made during two early-September performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
During the shows, Macklemore said every person deserved the same freedom and told the audience that people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank should know they had not been forgotten.
He then performed his protest track “Hind’s Hall” as images depicting the devastation in Gaza appeared on MetLife Stadium’s large screens.
Kraft later barred Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium near Boston, which is owned by his holding company. The decision ultimately led to the rapper’s departure from Sheeran’s tour.
Following Macklemore’s removal, Sheeran’s other opening acts—Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe—as well as his backing band Beoga, said they would leave the tour in solidarity with the rapper and Palestine.
Sheeran continued to face criticism and apologized during a September 19 performance in Philadelphia, saying he had made “mistakes” in the way he handled the fallout.
“This has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech on the most complex issue on the planet,” he told the crowd.
The footage showed Sheeran taking several bows as the audience applauded. (Source: Ed Sheeran/Instagram)
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After being removed from the tour, Macklemore launched a sold-out three-date concert series benefiting organizations that support “the Palestinian people and movement.” He is pictured at his London show last week.
He added that he had “always” wanted his music to provide a “safe space for everybody.”
“That matters hugely to me,” he said during the Philadelphia concert.
“Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am. That is why I’m here tonight, on my own, continuing my own tour.”
Sheeran also said he was “deeply” concerned that freedom of speech could be restricted, adding: “It should never happen in the free world.”
He continued: “What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.”
“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
Macklemore’s three-date tour in Dublin, Paris and London sold out quickly. (Source: Macklemore/Instagram)
Following his dismissal, Macklemore announced a Free Palestine tour to raise money for organizations supporting “the Palestinian people and movement.”
The three-show series, held in Dublin, Paris and London, sold out soon after it was announced.
“The Free Palestine Tour is my favorite thing I’ve ever been a part of,” he recently wrote on Instagram.
“I am still overwhelmed with gratitude and awe for every musician who stepped on stage in London. Every speaker. Every person who chose to be there.”
“We live in an era where advocating for Palestinian life and freedom is controversial. Where saying that Palestine should be free, that Palestinians deserve the same dignity, safety and rights as everyone else, can come at a cost.”
“The tour served as a reaffirmation that when we collectively use our voices, our stages and our platforms to stand for the freedom of others, something profound happens. And the crowd is just as much a part of that as the artists. We all are.”
“When we move beyond the fear of ‘how will this affect my career?’ and center collective liberation, something shifts. Love is found.”
