Ed Sheeran breaks down crying on stage amid Macklemore fallout, says he feels "abandoned"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Ed Sheeran told the audience at a recent concert that the viral Macklemore scandal has left him feeling "abandoned" by everyone in his life.
The 35-year-old Brit faced a wave of backlash last week during his Loop Tour after rapper Macklemore shouted "Free Palestine" during a performance; he was soon after removed from the tour as a support act.
Consequently, all other opening acts also pulled out in solidarity.
During his concert in Philadelphia a few days ago, the Shape of You singer actually broke down in tears on stage.
"In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It's been a weird week," he can be heard saying in a TikTok video, visibly emotional.
"It happened very quickly. At the same time, I had so many people telling me to cancel this tour, and so many people I've known for years and years and years they're kind of backing away," he continued.
"I'm feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me."
Despite the tough situation, Sheeran wants to keep the tour going and continue performing for his fans. Canceling is not an option for him.
"I look at the end of the week, and I see 50,000 people who haven't abandoned me... People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this," he said.
Even Ed Sheeran’s own band has pulled out of his tour
During his speech, Sheeran also called the concert the best show of his life.
At the same time, he said the past week had been one of the worst he’s ever experienced.
Before the concert, Sheeran had taken extra security measures – to protect his fans and himself.
He was concerned that audience members might throw objects onto the stage.
Sheeran claims that organizers of the Loop Tour had threatened to cancel his shows if Macklemore continued as a support act.
The rapper’s removal then caused a stir: all the other opening acts withdrew from the tour, including Sheeran’s own band.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshots/TikTok/@lumiere_darlings