Ed Sheeran has revealed he removed the B-stage from his first live show since the Macklemore controversy, saying he was “afraid of what might happen” if he stood in the middle of the crowd.
The singer returned to his ‘Loop’ tour at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field last night (September 19), following a turbulent week in which Macklemore was dropped as a support act over his pro-Palestine comments and all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts and backing band subsequently withdrew.
During the Philadelphia show, Sheeran explained that one significant part of the usual production had been removed due to his concerns about entering the crowd.
“At this point in the show, to be honest, I usually go out to a B-stage, and I’m going to be totally honest with you, I didn’t know what this audience would be like tonight,” he told the crowd.
“I didn’t know if I’d have things thrown at me. I apologise that today is not the usual show. I took the B-stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle and I will admit that. So, the show is a little bit different.”
| Ed on removing the B-stage for security concerns tonight:
"I didn't know if I would have things thrown at me. I didn't know if people would be angry at me… I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle." pic.twitter.com/6Qik3P5AbM
— Ed Sheeran Access (@AccessEdSheeran) September 20, 2026
The B-stage ordinarily allows Sheeran to perform from a second location surrounded by fans in the middle of the venue.
Elsewhere during the show, Sheeran addressed the wider controversy at length, admitting that he had made “mistakes” and had considered whether he wanted to continue making music.
“I’m used to my music being criticised, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised,” he said early in the concert. “I’m not surprised that other people don’t. It’s normal.
“But this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry.”
Sheeran said he had never wanted to be “an activist musician”, but acknowledged that the situation had placed him in “an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet”.
He also expressed concern about venues seeking to control what performers could say from the stage.
“I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performers,” he said. “This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
