Ed Sheeran Cancels Gillette Stadium Concerts as Nor’easter Hits New England

Ed Sheeran’s two scheduled concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26, have been canceled due to a severe nor’easter forecast to hit the region. The tour promoter Messina Touring Group announced the decision on Friday morning, citing safety concerns for fans, staff, and crew.

The cancellation comes hours before the first show was set to begin and follows weeks of controversy surrounding the tour after opening act Macklemore was removed for making pro-Palestinian statements on stage.

Official statement cites severe weather warnings

The promoter released a statement confirming the decision. ‘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,’ the statement read.

‘The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority,’ the statement continued. Refunds are available at the point of purchase. Ticketholders who bought through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.

The full statement was shared on the official Instagram account of Messina Touring Group at https://www.instagram.com/p/DdtrRM7NESW/.

Nor’easter forces multiple event cancellations

The storm is forecast to bring strong winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding from the Carolinas to New England. Wind gusts in the Foxborough area are predicted to reach 40 to 55 miles per hour, peaking Friday night through Saturday night.

The weather system has already caused other cancellations. The Ocean Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, canceled its first day due to the storm’s impact.

Tour had been mired in Macklemore controversy

The canceled shows were the latest development in a difficult month for Sheeran’s Loop Tour. Macklemore, who was originally scheduled to open the Gillette Stadium dates, was removed from the tour after chanting ‘Free Palestine’ at a September 4 concert at MetLife Stadium.

Gillette Stadium is owned by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots. Kraft issued a statement saying the venue would 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,’ Kraft said.

After Macklemore was dropped, the other opening acts on the tour — Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga — withdrew in solidarity.

Sheeran addressed the controversy on stage

Sheeran returned to the stage on September 19 in Philadelphia, performing solo. He read a message from a teleprompter addressing the situation. ‘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 said.

He also wrote on Instagram that Macklemore’s removal ‘was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.’

Remaining tour dates still scheduled

Sheeran’s remaining Loop Tour dates in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas, and Florida are still scheduled to proceed as planned. The canceled Gillette Stadium shows will not be rescheduled, according to reports.

As of September 25, no further statement has been released by Sheeran or his representatives regarding the cancellation. The status of the tour beyond the upcoming dates has not been announced.