Ed Sheeran Gillette Stadium concerts cancelled due to storm warnings following Macklemore scandal

Ed Sheeran's two US concerts at the Gillette Stadium on Friday and Saturday have been cancelled due to "severe weather warnings".

The promoter, Messina Touring, said in a post on Instagram: "The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority."

They added that: "Refunds are available now at the point of purchase." Ticketholders who bought their through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.

Strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rain are forecast to hit much of the American east coast over the weekend, with wind gusts that could approach up to 55mph around Boston, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The Gillette Stadium is located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, about 30 miles to the south of Boston.

The cancellations come after the Gillette Stadium's owner, Robert Kraft, barred Macklemore from performing in the venue, saying he would not "provide a platform for hate speech" after the rapper made comments in support of Palestine.

Following Macklemore's removal from the tour, Sheeran's other support acts, including Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, Finneas, subsequently quit his Loop Tour in protest.

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In the fallout, Sheeran apologised to fans for the handling of a controversy which has threatened to engulf his tour.

While addressing fans, the star admitted to "making mistakes" and said "I'm so, so sorry for them".

"I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've 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 went on to say that: "What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.

"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, children's lives."

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Macklemore has since announced a series of European concerts, including in London, as part of the Free Palestine Tour.

(c) Sky News 2026: Ed Sheeran Gillette Stadium concerts cancelled due to storm warnings following Macklemore sc