Ed Sheeran's Gillette Stadium concerts called off as troubled tour faces fresh setback
Severe weather warnings forced Ed Sheeran's Gillette Stadium shows to be canceled amid a backdrop of controversy involving Macklemore and Robert Kraft.
Ed Sheeran's concerts at Gillette Stadium have been canceled.
Sheeran was set to perform at the Foxborough, Massachusetts, venue on Sept. 25 and 26, but according to a statement shared on social media, potentially dangerous weather conditions have forced the singer to step back.
"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," Sheeran's tour promoter, Messina Touring Group, said in a statement. "The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority."
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The company noted that refunds are available at the point of purchase. Gillette Stadium reposted the statement.
While the weather prompted the cancellations, the owner of Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft, has been in the headlines recently due to the controversy surrounding Sheeran and one of the former openers for his tour, Macklemore.
After Macklemore used his slot at Sheeran's MetLife Stadium shows to express his support for Palestinians, many people were upset, including owners of stadiums where Sheeran was slated to play. The "Thrift Shop" rapper was eventually dropped from the tour, and in a lengthy statement reacting to the news, he wrote in part, "Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues."
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Kraft then issued a statement of his own that read, "Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech."
"Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line."
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The statement continued, "This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike."
Kraft wrote that he agreed with Macklemore that "too many lives have been lost and there has been too much suffering," but argued that "only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas is not honest and only advances more divisiveness and hate."
He added, "Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive."
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Kraft shared that he's spent a considerable amount of time in recent years "focused on the fight against antisemitism and hate of all kinds, and I feel a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed."
He has a "tremendous respect" for Sheeran and his music, Kraft explained, and he said that he'd also be happy to speak personally with Macklemore, "because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate."
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While it's not clear if Macklemore has pursued that opportunity, he did announce this week that in October, he's headed to Europe for a set of shows he's calling the "Free Palestine Tour."
Despite the promoter saying severe weather forced the cancellation of Sheeran's Gillette Stadium shows, several people shared other theories on social media.
"Mother Nature really said ‘not in Kraft’s house,'" one person wrote.
Another joked, "The bad weather being refunds and public backlash."
It's unclear if the shows will be rescheduled.
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