Ed Sheeran tour drama comes to Philly this weekend

Catch up quick: Macklemore voiced his support for Palestinians and accused Israel of genocide during his shows on Sept.4-5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

• Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was the promoter's, not his own.
• All of Sheeran's other supporting acts have since dropped out — including a group that performs with Sheeran during part of the show.

State of play: Lincoln Financial Field will host Sheeran and what's left of his tour at 5:30pm. (Tickets: $90+)

Meanwhile, local pro-Palestinian groups say they will demonstrate at NRG Station — near the stadium — ahead of the concert at 4:30pm, per social media postings.

• Protest organizers, including the Palestine Coalition, did not return Axios' request for comment.

Zoom in: Philly police are working with Linc organizers on concert security and are aware of the planned protest, a police spokesperson tells Axios.

• The department will monitor the event and adjust its deployment accordingly.

What else: The tour's promoters, Messina Touring Group, told Rolling Stone Monday that concert venues threatened to cancel shows unless Macklemore was dropped.

Flashback: In 2014, Macklemore faced backlash for wearing a black wig, beard and a fake hooked nose during a Seattle performance, an outfit critics called a caricature of a Jewish man — though he said at the time the costume was "random" and intended only to be a disguise.