Ed Sheeran calls his first show following Macklemore's firing his 'best ever'

… border-solid border-x-0 border-y mb-6 mt-2 pt-5 pb-5"><div class="type-author inq-author inq-author--standard text-primary"><div class="inq-author-main inq-byline"><div class=""><span class="text-primary font-normal leading-5">by <a class="no-underline author-compact text-primary hover:text-blue-mid font-normal" href="https://www.inquirer.com/author/hopkins_earl/" data-card-author="Earl Hopkins">Earl Hopkins</a></span> <div class="flex flex-col md:flex-row"><div class="inq-timestamp antialiased type-article-details text-secondary"><span class="inq-timestamp__label leading-5">Published </span><time dateTime="2026-09-20T16:57:33-04:00" class="inline-block type-article-details text-secondary inline leading-5">Sept. 20, 2026, 4:57 p.m. ET</time></div></div></div></div></div></ul><div class="relative -top-6"><div class="premium-content-indicator" id="premium-content-indicator"></div></div><div class="relative -top-6"><div class="giftlink-message" id="giftlink-message"></div></div><div id="piano-container"></div><div id="article-body" class="article-body-light "><div class="flex border-b border-solid items-center justify-between mb-6 pb-5 border-b-neutral-light-charcoal-gray"><div class="relative flex items-center gap-2 self-stretch "><button class="audio-paywall-trigger bg-transparent flex gap-2 items-center cursor-pointer" aria-label="play button"><div class="inq-icon inq-icon--link inq-icon--none [&amp;&gt;svg]:overflow-visible"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="32px" height="32px" viewBox="0 0 32 32" fill="currentColor"><g clip-path="url(#clip0_2938_2454)"><path d="M16 32C7.16344 32 0 24.8365 0 16C0 7.16344 7.16344 0 16 0C24.8365 0 32 7.16344 32 16C32 24.8365 24.8365 32 16 32ZM13.795 10.2633C13.6899 10.1932 13.5664 10.1559 13.44 10.1559C13.0866 10.1559 12.8 10.4424 12.8 10.7959V21.2042C12.8 21.3306 12.8374 21.4541 12.9075 21.5592C13.1035 21.8533 13.501 21.9328 13.795 21.7366L21.6013 16.5325C21.6715 16.4856 21.7318 16.4253 21.7787 16.355C21.9749 16.061 21.8954 15.6635 21.6013 15.4675L13.795 10.2633Z" fill="black"></path></g><defs><clipPath id="clip0_269_1205"><rect width="32" height="32" fill="white" transform="translate(0 0.333008)"></rect></clipPath></defs></svg></div><span class="font-grot10 text-3.5 font-semibold not-italic leading-4 text-primary">Listen to article<!-- --> <span aria-hidden="true">•</span> <time>0:00<!-- --> min</time></span></button><button type="button" aria-label="Feedback" class="bg-transparent cursor-pointer flex" aria-expanded="false"><div class="inq-icon inq-icon--link inq-icon--none mt-0.5"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="black"><path d="M12 22C6.47715 22 2 17.5228 2 12C2 6.47715 6.47715 2 12 2C17.5228 2 22 6.47715 22 12C22 17.5228 17.5228 22 12 22ZM12 20C16.4183 20 20 16.4183 20 12C20 7.58172 16.4183 4 12 4C7.58172 4 4 7.58172 4 12C4 16.4183 7.58172 20 12 20ZM11 15H13V17H11V15ZM13 13.3551V14H11V12.5C11 11.9477 11.4477 11.5 12 11.5C12.8284 11.5 13.5 10.8284 13.5 10C13.5 9.17157 12.8284 8.5 12 8.5C11.2723 8.5 10.6656 9.01823 10.5288 9.70577L8.56731 9.31346C8.88637 7.70919 10.302 6.5 12 6.5C13.933 6.5 15.5 8.067 15.5 10C15.5 11.5855 14.4457 12.9248 13 13.3551Z" fill="black"></path></svg></div></button><audio><track kind="captions" class="hidden"/></audio></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Ed Sheeran took the stage in <a class="relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" data-link-type="article-body" class="text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" href=https://www.inquirer.com/topic/south-philly>South Philadelphia</a> on Saturday night for the first time since the British singer-songwriter became the unwitting center of international political debate. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“This week has been the worst of my life, and today has been the weirdest,” Sheeran said to the sizable<b> </b>crowd to begin his performance at Lincoln Financial Field. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="min-h-[265px]"></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Rapper Macklemore <a class="relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" data-link-type="article-body" class="text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" href="https://www.inquirer.com/arts/macklemore-ed-sheeran-lincoln-financial-field-loop-tour-20260914.html" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://www.inquirer.com/arts/macklemore-ed-sheeran-lincoln-financial-field-loop-tour-20260914.html">was fired as the opener</a> of Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” last week after he performed his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall,” about pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University while showing footage of the war in Gaza and repeatedly shouting “Free Palestine.”</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Macklemore’s dismissal from the tour led to outcry among some, who saw it as the quashing of free speech.<b> </b>Other opening acts subsequently left the tour in protest, including Sheeran’s backing band.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary "><a class="relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" data-link-type="article-body" class="text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/ed-sheeran-philadelphia-concert-protests-reactions-20260919.html" target="_blank" rel="">With pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Linc before the show</a>, and the backlash that grew over the week, it seemed the weight of the world was on Sheeran’s shoulders. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">He began the show solo, stepping onto an empty stage at 8:14 p.m. and delivered a <a class="relative z-1 text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" data-link-type="article-body" class="text-blue-mid hover:shadow-lightmode" href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/ed-sheeran-palestine-comments-macklemore-philadelphia-20260919.html" target="_blank" rel="">speech seemingly read off a teleprompter,</a> at one point getting emotional, saying he never wanted to be a political artist. He opened his set addressing the controversy. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="min-h-[265px]"></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I am so, so sorry,” he told the crowd. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:200px"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:200px"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">He directly addressed the war in Gaza saying, “What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 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 the loss of civilians’ lives. Children’s lives.”</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">He<b> </b>also said that his show had to be altered because of the events of the previous week — including his stage setup and backing band. Later in the three-hour set, he admitted that Macklemore’s exit from the tour led to a lost connection with longtime friends, many of whom urged him to cancel his tour. The new band and the broader audience on Saturday encouraged him to go on, he said. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="min-h-[265px]"></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Throughout the night, the sympathetic audience cheered and shouted “We love you, Ed” when Sheeran reaffirmed his intention to make music that unifies fans of differing creeds and political views. The crowd ranged from young children to gray-haired fans, each appearing to have their own distinct relationship to the songs sprawled across Sheeran’s catalog.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary "></p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:200px"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:200px"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran may not consider himself a political artist, but the blowback from last week’s events largely altered his stage show. </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“I hope you enjoyed my supporting acts,” he jokingly said to the amused audience. Of course, there were no supporting acts after the likes of Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham, and his backing band, Beoga, quit in solidarity with Macklemore.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="min-h-[265px]"></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran said that he removed a secondary stage that had been a part of his other concert stops, fearing retribution from the audience. “I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what would happen if I stood in the middle, and I will admit that,” he said.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">But that change was unwarranted in South Philadelphia, as the outside pressures had little effect on the crowd, who danced in the aisles and aimed their cell phone cameras at Sheeran throughout the night.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">He also introduced his new backup band, consisting of a drummer, guitarist, bass player, keyboardist, and violinist, who came on board on three days’ notice, knowing “the world may hate them” for performing along his side. The band impressed with its sharp performances of “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan.”</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:200px"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:200px"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">In a show that was marked by inconsistency, the musical star glided through his catalog of hits with an acoustic guitar and a series of loop pedals at his feet. As he sang hits like “The A Team” and “Castle on the Hill,” Sheeran layered his vocals and percussions, creating a live arrangement of synchronized sounds and stacked melodies.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">The experience, with pyrotechnics and vibrant graphics displayed on a background screen, was akin to attending what felt like an open-air studio session. Though the clashing of unregulated sounds on songs like “Take It Back” occasionally drowned out his lyrics.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="min-h-[265px]"></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran’s pensive demeanor at the top of the show soon grew to comfort, as he rattled off jokes and peppered the crowd with stories linked to his songs.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:200px"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:200px"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran seamlessly transitioned from jubilant, up-tempo records like “Sapphire” and “Galway Girl” to emotional tracks such as “Eyes Closed.”</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">But the stories Sheeran shared of his first cheesesteak experience in Philadelphia back in 2012 and the past heartaches that led to songs like “Old Phone” often spiraled into disconnected tangents that pulled audiences out of an already lengthy concert experience.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“This is where we can congregate, and we all have differing opinions, but then we all come together for one night and agree on the same thing. And I think it’s a wonderful thing,” he said.</p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><p class="inq-p text-primary ">After what started as a week like no other Sheeran has faced in his music career, he said Saturday was “the best show [I’ve] ever had.” </p><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:200px"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:200px"></div></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="my-5"><hr class=" bg-gray-light w-full border-0 inq-divider inq-divider--standard inq-divider--"/></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class=" relative w-fit mt-6 mb-0 font-inquirer-headline text-primary"><h3 class="block font-semibold mt-8 mb-4 text-5 leading-5 sm:text-8 sm:leading-8 lg:text-9 lg:leading-9">Set List:</h3></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div><div class="my-6"><ol class="ml-5 list-disc my-6"><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Shivers”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Castle on the Hill”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“The A Team”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Sapphire”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Don’t”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Eyes Closed”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“I’m a Mess” </p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Take It Back”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran interpolates Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Lego House”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Supermarket Flowers” </p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Tenerife Sea”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Give Me Love”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Galway Girl”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Nancy Mulligan”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“I Don’t Care”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Old Phone”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Camera”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Celestial”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Photograph”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">Sheeran performs Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Thinking Out Loud”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Perfect”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“I See Fire”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Bloodstream”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Afterglow”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Shape of You” </p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Azizam”</p></li><li class="ml-5 mb-3 "><p class="inq-p text-primary ">“Bad Habits” </p></li></ol></div><div style="display:block;height:0"><div class="lazyload-placeholder" style="height:0"></div></div></div><div class="relative undefined"><div id="article-feedback-collector" class="article-feedback-collector mt-6 mb-4"></div></div><div id="inq-article-completion" class="inq-author-footer "><ul class="inq-story__meta list-none border-y-neutral-light-charcoal-gray border-solid …