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Let the music be the music.

Ed Sheeran fans for keeping politics off the stage.

We love Ed Sheeran's shows because everyone is welcome in the room. We do not think an entertainer owes the crowd a political speech, and we do not think staying quiet from the stage makes someone a villain.

Why we stand with Ed Sheeran

Free speech includes the freedom not to speak.

Artists who choose to speak out deserve respect. So do artists who choose not to. A stage is not a witness stand, and a ticket is not a subpoena. Demanding a public position from every performer turns conviction into a box-ticking exercise.

The room belongs to everyone in it.

A stadium show is one of the few places left where people who disagree about almost everything can stand shoulder to shoulder and sing the same words. Ed has said he wants his shows to be a place of "safety and sanctuary". We think that is worth protecting.

Silence is not the same as not caring.

Not saying something on stage is not the same as not having a view, and it is not the same as endorsing anything. People support causes in private, with their time, and with their money, without turning a concert into a rally.

You can hold both ideas at once.

Ed himself said a support act being pulled for what he said "should never happen in the free world". You can believe performers should be free to speak and free to stay out of it. Both are the same principle: nobody gets to script what an artist says.

How to support Ed

The best answer to all of this is the oldest one: turn up, listen, and buy the record. Every link below goes to an official Ed Sheeran site. We are not paid for any of them, and there are no affiliate codes.

Support what he cares about

The Ed Sheeran Foundation funds instruments, lessons, practice space and mentoring so children in state schools get the music education he had. Supporting it counts too.

What happened with Ed Sheeran and Macklemore

A short, sourced summary so nobody has to guess. Links go to the original reporting.

  1. Early September 2026

    Opening for Ed's Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore made pro-Palestine remarks from the stage and performed a song with Gaza footage.

  2. The following days

    Venue owners for upcoming dates said they would pull the shows if he stayed on the bill. The tour promoter removed him from the remaining dates. ABC News

  3. 15 September 2026

    Ed released a statement saying the removal was the promoter's decision, not his, that he is not complicit, and that he keeps politics off his professional platform because his audience includes children of every background. Paste · Newsweek

  4. 15 September 2026

    Every remaining support act left the tour in protest: Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga, the Irish band that has long been Ed's house band. Some critics also pointed to Ed's past public support for Ukraine and other causes. NPR · BuzzFeed

  5. 19–20 September 2026

    Demonstrators gathered outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. With no band and no openers, Ed played the shows alone with a guitar and a loop pedal, the way he started. On stage he said he had made mistakes and apologised, called the situation in Gaza catastrophic, said he wants his shows to be about unity, joy and escapism, and afterwards called it the best show of his life. Townhall · Yahoo News

  6. 24 September 2026

    Macklemore announced his own run of shows for late October in Dublin, Paris and London, with more to follow. Both artists are now touring separately. Al Jazeera

  7. 25 September 2026

    Both Gillette Stadium shows in Foxborough were cancelled. The promoter cited the nor'easter hitting New England; tickets are refunded automatically. The tour is still scheduled to continue through December. GBH · Variety

  8. 3 October 2026

    Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium: the first show with a guest since the openers left. Isaac Slade, formerly of The Fray, played a short set and spoke about peace and finding common ground. Ed played three hours alone with a guitar and loop station to a near sell-out crowd, no protests, and made one reference to the past weeks: that they had "really honed in on why I do what I do", and that a show is "such a unifying, loving thing". AJC · Billboard · Newsweek

  9. 9 October 2026

    The tour has openers again. Isaac Slade confirmed he will open the remaining US stadium dates: Indianapolis on 10 October, Charlotte on 17 October, Arlington on 24 October and Tampa on 7 November. Brooks Rosser, a finalist from this year's American Idol, joined the Indianapolis bill for his first show since the programme. The two Hollywood, Florida nights and the Latin American dates have no support announced yet. NME · Digital Music News

  10. 17 October 2026

    Charlotte, Bank of America Stadium: nearly three hours and 29 songs on a cold, windy night, the first eleven alone with the loop station and then a band for a handful of songs, the first time he has had one on stage since September. No protests. His only nod to the past month was that he had "been in the news quite a lot" before moving on to a story about his late friend Jamal Edwards. The tour is back to being about the songs. Charlotte Observer via Yahoo

This site takes no position on the conflict itself. It takes a position on one thing: whether an entertainer can be made to talk about it.

Questions people are asking

Did Ed Sheeran remove Macklemore from his tour?

No. The tour promoter removed Macklemore after venue owners for upcoming dates said they would cancel the shows if he stayed on the bill. Ed said in his 15 September 2026 statement that the decision was the promoter's, not his. Source

Why does Ed Sheeran keep politics out of his concerts?

In his statement he said his audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds, that people who come to his shows do not expect a political forum, and that he chooses to use his platform as a place of safety and sanctuary. He said there are different approaches to being an advocate for change. Source

Has Ed Sheeran ever spoken about politics?

Yes, outside his shows. He headlined a televised benefit concert for Ukraine, praised Jeremy Corbyn in 2017, co-signed an open letter about Brexit's effect on touring musicians, and took part in the 2019 Love Music Hate Racism campaign. His position is about what happens on his stage, not about having no views. Source

What has Ed Sheeran said about Gaza?

His written statement said he is appalled by the conflict and stressed the suffering on both sides. On stage in Philadelphia on 20 September 2026 he apologised for mistakes in how he handled the situation, described what is happening in Gaza as catastrophic and unjustifiable, and said he wants his shows to be about unity, joy and escapism. Source

Is this site official or connected to Ed Sheeran?

No. Let Ed Play is an independent fan site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Ed Sheeran, his management, his label or the tour promoter.

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From the crowd. Our own phone snapshots from Ed's Osaka shows, April 2019 and January 2024.