Ed Sheeran 'may have to cancel next two shows' and it's not because of Macklemore

Ed Sheeran may be forced to cancel his next two concerts amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore being axed from his Loop tour, sources claimed.

He broke down in tears onstage earlier this week and said he feels “abandoned” by friends and family, as his four other opening acts quit in solidarity with Macklemore.

Sheeran is due to perform on Friday and Saturday night at billionaire Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Massachussetts - but stage construction has reportedly been paused.

The stage had been partially assembled by Thursday morning but crew have been told to halt construction due to a huge storm bearing down on New England, according to TMZ.

The storm is expected to bring heavy wind and several inches of rain, starting on Friday night, and could pose a danger to faint in the open-air stadium, sources claimed.

Ed Sheeran may have to cancel his next two shows, sources claimed

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A separate insider told the outlet that everything is ready for Sheeran to perform on Friday, aside from lighting, which crew is thought to still be testing.

A final call has not been made and it is unclear if the shows will be rescheduled if Sheeran is forced to cancel, TMZ reported. The Standard has contacted Sheeran’s representative for comment.

Almost 200 people have been struggling to obtain refunds from Ticketmaster for Sheeran’s shows, prompting Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campell to step in and demand Ticketmaster give people their money back.

It is understood that those ticket holders were not seeking refunds over the weather but because of Macklemore being dumped.

He then launched into protest song Hind’s Hall, which condemns Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and was dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. Images of the devastation in Gaza were shown whilst he performed.

Macklemore told the crowd that a large reason why he signed on to the tour was for the opportunity to speak on the ongoing conflict.

Macklemore was dropped from the tour over his pro-Palestine comments

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The following day, at his second appearance at the MetLife Stadium, he reiterated his previous message with a direct address to Jewish members in the audience.

“Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace, love; for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality,” he said.

Shortly after his remarks, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition asking Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates.

Macklemore then announced he would no longer be playing the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop tour.

He said stadium owner Kraft had organised the boycott, rallying other stadium owners who ultimately gave Sheeran the ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues”.

“Ed was in a f***** up position,” the rapper wrote. “He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before.”

He broke down in tears onstage on Monday and said: “I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandoned me.”

He added that he had made “mistakes” in how he handled the Macklemore fallout and wasn’t sure if the tour would continue.