By Roxanne "Flashbulb" Starr
The lights hadn't even settled on the Philadelphia stage before Ed Sheeran decided he wasn't going to dodge the question hanging over his tour.
"I've made mistakes," Sheeran told the crowd, according to footage of the show, addressing the controversy that has trailed him since Macklemore was dropped from his tour lineup over pro-Palestinian comments the rapper made.
Outside the venue, the scene was split. Some concertgoers arrived alongside pro-Palestinian activists, while others told cameras they'd come simply for the music and weren't looking to wade into politics for the night.
The episode began when Macklemore, known for hits like "Thrift Shop" and his own history of outspoken activism, was pulled from Sheeran's touring bill after making remarks in support of Palestinians. The decision set off a public argument over where a pop tour ends and a political statement begins — one that followed Sheeran onto his own stage.
What exactly Sheeran meant by "mistakes" — whether about the decision to drop Macklemore, the handling of the fallout, or something else entirely — he did not spell out further in the clips circulating from the show. We're working from the moment as captured on video; a fuller accounting of what was said, and why, is still developing.
For a performer who has built a career on being the affable everyman with an acoustic guitar, the night in Philadelphia was a reminder that no stage is insulated from the politics of the moment. Sheeran finished the show. The controversy, by all appearances, did not finish with it.
— If I can't source it, you won't read it here.
— Compiled from reporting by the BBC.
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