Ed Sheeran apology speech and Macklemore's 'Free Palestine' call: Watch both moments back-to-back

During his Sept. 19 tour stop in Philadelphia, Ed Sheeran immediately addressed the very public and unprecedented controversy that left him with no openers or his guest band.

At Lincoln Financial Field, the singer-songwriter took the stage solo, as he has on every date of the tour. At the top of the show, he acknowledged that he has faced criticism about his music before, but this past week was “about something much more important.”

“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry," Sheeran said in his apology.

The response against Sheeran came after Macklemore faced his own backlash from stadium owners for making remarks about "Free Palestine" during Sheeran's MetLife Stadium show two weeks earlier.

"The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine," Macklemore said.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2026/09/19/what-ed-sheeran-speaks-out-macklemore-controversy-philadelphia/91826746007/

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