How Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour went off the rails in 3 weeks

Driving the news: Sheeran's tour promoter, Messina Touring, announced that this week's Gillette Stadium dates were canceled because of extreme weather.

• The cancellation came one day after the Massachusetts attorney general said Ticketmaster agreed to offer advanced refunds to Gillette ticket holders following more than 100 complaints about the tour's recent lineup changes.
• The remaining opening acts, along with Sheeran's touring band, had dropped from the tour after Macklemore was removed on Sept. 14 following his pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

State of play: Gillette had been at the center of the controversy from the start. Stadium owner Robert Kraft was among venue owners who objected to Macklemore remaining on the bill, helping trigger the chain of events that reshaped the rest of Sheeran's U.S. tour.

Thought bubble, via Axios' media reporter Kerry Flynn: The vibes around this tour are so bad that my first reaction to seeing the Gillette shows canceled was that it had to do with people seeking refunds over the Macklemore controversy, not the impending weather.

• The contrast with Sheeran's last trip to Gillette is remarkable. I was at his Mathematics Tour there in 2023 when he broke the stadium's single-show attendance record, which still stands.

• That weekend also had a last-minute opener shakeup, but for very different reasons. Khalid was recovering from a car accident, so John Mayer and Little Big Town filled in. Instead of being a setback, the mood was celebratory and collaborative.

Here's how Sheeran's tour unraveled.

The initial backlash

Flashback: During Sept. 4-5 shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore made multiple pro-Palestinian comments to the crowd.

• He told the MetLife crowd on Sept. 4 that he wanted to do the tour "so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: 'Free Palestine.'"
• He also played his 2024 pro-Palestinian song "Hind's Hall," while a video aired onstage showing images of war-torn Gaza.
• According to Rolling Stone, multiple venues — including Gillette, Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — did not want Macklemore to perform onstage for upcoming shows, prompting calls for him to be removed entirely.

Macklemore kicked off the tour

Less than two weeks after his initial comments, Macklemore confirmed he was booted from the tour.

• He said Sheeran told him about the decision, alleging that Sheeran had spoken with Kraft, who wanted Macklemore off the tour.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that Kraft told Sheeran he'd cancel the remaining dates at Gillette Stadium if Macklemore wasn't removed.
• As owner of Gillette Stadium, Kraft has the legal power to control who performs at the stadium. However, legal experts contend that banning artists or canceling events could expose Kraft and management to civil rights lawsuits.

Opening acts leave Ed Sheeran's tour

All four of Sheeran's tour supporting acts — Irish musicians Aaron Rowe and Beoga, Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas —announced they were leaving the tour over Macklemore's removal.

• Rowe and Graham were set to replace Macklemore as openers. Boega had already performed with Sheeran in sets during the shows.
• "We have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be," Beoga wrote on Instagram. "We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people."
• Finneas, who was set to tour with Sheeran for the South American leg, said "artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed."

Kraft respond to Macklemore

What they're saying: Kraft responded to the backlash in a statement to multiple outlets on Sept. 14, condemning Macklemore's pro-Palestinian comments and "broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery."

• After Macklemore called on Kraft to match a $1 million donation to Palestinian relief organizations, Kraft pledged to donate $2 million after fielding a request from Sheeran.

Sheeran's emotional return in Philly

Sheeran returned to the tour on Sept. 19 at a show in Philadelphia, where he addressed the controversy in an emotional moment with the crowd.

• "I never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," Sheeran told the crowd, per the AP.
• Sheeran also called the conflict in Gaza "catastrophic and unjustifiable."
• Sheeran's original apology shared on Instagram drew widespread backlash after he wrote that "Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me," saying he was "not complicit" in the artist's removal.

Macklemore unveils new tour

On Thursday, Macklemore announced he was starting his own "Free Palestine" tour, with stops in Dublin, Paris and London.

• "What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage," Macklemore wrote on X. "When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention."
• "So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement."

What's next: Artists and U.S. dates have yet to be announced.

Cancellations and chaos hit Gillette shows

The latest: The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced Thursday that Ticketmaster will allow refunds to Sheeran's Gillette Stadium dates due to the "significant changes to the lineup" — an exception to the company's policy that requests be made at least 24 hours before the start of a show.

• On Friday, the tour's promoter said the shows at Gillette were canceled altogether because of the extreme weather.
• Refunds are available for people who purchased tickets.