Ed Sheeran has cancelled his two scheduled concerts at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts due to severe weather expected across the region.
The shows, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the home of the New England Patriots, were called off as a powerful nor’easter approached New England. A representative for Patriots owner Robert Kraft said stadium officials, Sheeran’s tour management and public safety authorities had been monitoring weather forecasts throughout the week before the decision was made.
“Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week. Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” the representative said. “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority. Refunds are available now at the point of purchase. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.”
Preparations for the concerts had already been affected by the approaching storm, with construction of the stage reportedly halted on Thursday because of concerns about the weather. Foxborough, where Gillette Stadium is located, was forecast to receive between one and two inches of rain, with wind gusts potentially reaching 40 mph.
The cancellations come amid wider controversy surrounding Sheeran’s tour following Macklemore’s departure as an opening act. Macklemore had faced criticism after making pro-Palestinian remarks during previous performances, including saying “Free Palestine.” Kraft was subsequently reported to have played a role in removing him from the tour.
Other opening acts and members of Sheeran’s backing band later left the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, resulting in Sheeran performing without them during his recent Philadelphia concert. Massachusetts Peace Action, an advocacy group, had also announced plans to hold a protest outside Saturday’s Gillette Stadium concert over the controversy.
The weather-related cancellation came a day after Macklemore announced his “Free Palestine Tour” and criticised Sheeran and Kraft while promoting the new shows. Despite the surrounding controversy, officials said the decision to cancel the Gillette Stadium concerts was made because of the severe weather forecast and concerns for the safety of fans, staff and others involved in the events.
