Nocturnal 
Ed Sheeran’s two shows at Gillette Stadium have been cancelled just hours before he was due on stage, with organisers blaming severe weather rather than any fallout from his very public bust-up with Macklemore.
The Massachusetts venue, owned by billionaire Robert Kraft’s Kraft Group, was set to host Sheeran on Friday and Saturday as part of his Loop Tour. Instead, fans have been sent home empty-handed after a major storm swept into Boston and the wider New England area.
The news was first reported by TMZ before promoter Messina Touring confirmed it in a statement posted to Instagram.
What the statement said
“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.”
Refunds are available at the point of purchase, and anyone who bought through Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically. A representative for Kraft told TMZ that “stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week.” There’s no word yet on whether the Gillette dates will be rearranged.
A tour already dogged by controversy
The cancellation caps off a turbulent few weeks for Sheeran’s Loop Tour. His former opening act Macklemore was dropped after shouting “Free Palestine” and performing his protest track “Hind’s Hall” during a New Jersey show, a move that sparked a significant backlash and saw several other acts, including Finneas and Aaron Rowe, quit the tour in solidarity.
Sheeran addressed the fallout in an Instagram statement on 15 September, saying venues had warned they would pull shows if Macklemore kept up his stance, and insisting the decision to remove him “was not mine” but the promoter’s. Kraft, meanwhile, has previously said he would donate $2 million to match a Sheeran donation to “aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.”
Macklemore has since announced his own Free Palestine Tour, with dates in Dublin, Paris and London in October, with proceeds going to Palestinian charities. He said in a statement that “being apolitical during a genocide doesn’t work anymore.”
According to Al Jazeera, citing Newsweek and TicketData, prices for Sheeran’s remaining shows have dropped by more than ten percent since the row erupted.
What happens next
Despite the double blow of controversy and cancellation, Sheeran’s tour is set to press on. His remaining dates, including stops in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Texas and Florida, are still going ahead as planned, with Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium up next on 3 October.
For now, ticket holders in Massachusetts are being urged to seek their refunds, while questions remain over whether the Gillette Stadium shows will ever be rescheduled.
