Washington: Ed Sheeran’s weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, have been cancelled due to severe weather warnings forecast across Boston and New England, the venue said on Friday.
As per Variety, the September 25 and 26 concerts were cancelled following forecasts of a nor'easter bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the East Coast.
Tour promoter Messina Touring said the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows was the primary consideration behind the decision to cancel the concerts.
“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,” Messina Touring said in a statement, adding, “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority.”
The cancellations come amid controversy surrounding Sheeran’s US tour following the removal of rapper Macklemore as an opening act after his pro-Palestinian remarks. Robert Kraft, whose Gillette Stadium is the venue for the concerts, had previously said Macklemore would not perform at the September 25 and 26 shows.
Following Macklemore’s removal from the tour, Sheeran addressed the controversy during his September 19 show.
“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I have never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” he said.
Sheeran also became emotional during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, saying he felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years amid the controversy.
“In these situations you really find out who your friends are. It’s been a weird week,” he said.
The emotional appearance came after several of Sheeran’s opening acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Sheeran also said he had altered the concert setup because of safety concerns, removing the B stage because he feared what could happen if he stood in the middle of the audience area.