“A Terrible Time for the Whole World”: Ed Sheeran Breaks Down in Tears on Stage in Philadelphia

Ed Sheeran broke down in tears twice as he wrapped up his concert in Philadelphia, amid the controversy surrounding his remarks about the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

The 35-year-old singer struggled to compose himself before thanking his fans and apologizing to parents for addressing the war during a concert they may have expected to be devoted entirely to music, the Daily Mail reports.

Clearly emotional, Sheeran fought back tears as he addressed the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field toward the end of the evening, which had begun with another deeply personal speech about the war.

“I’m so grateful to you. It’s a terrible time for the whole world right now. It’s a terrible time for America right now. This gives me hope,” Sheeran told the crowd.

He then acknowledged that families who had bought tickets to his concert may not have expected to hear him discuss the complexities of Middle Eastern politics.

“I understand there are children here, and I understand that families bought tickets not to hear this first part of the show. But I felt I had to say it.”

The singer then returned to the message he said had always been at the heart of his concerts — bringing people together despite their differences.

“That’s what my concerts are about. They’re about people coming together, even if they didn’t know each other before and even if they have different views. They’re about unity. They’re about love. They’re about family,” Sheeran said.

As the crowd applauded, the singer vowed that the controversy would not force him to give up performing.

The emotional finale came several hours after Sheeran opened the concert with an unusually candid speech about the war between Israel and Gaza. At the time, he told the audience: “I can’t hide my feelings about this anymore.”

The remarks marked a significant departure from his previous stance. Sheeran had previously said that he did not want to use his platform to discuss politics.

The concert at Lincoln Financial Field was Sheeran’s first performance since rapper Macklemore was removed from the lineup of his tour following his public statements in support of Palestine.

Pro-Palestinian protesters also gathered outside the stadium before the concert.

In his speech, Sheeran said: “Throughout my career, I’ve tried not to be a political commentator because I wanted my music and my shows to be about unity rather than division, humanity rather than politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I can’t hide my feelings about it anymore.”

“What happened in Israel at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of suffering experienced by the Jewish people.

“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate,” Sheeran said. “My heart is broken by the scale of the destruction and the loss of civilian life, the loss of children, and the systemic injustice we are witnessing in the West Bank cannot be ignored.”

Sheeran also told the audience that he intended to continue his current tour despite all of his opening acts withdrawing in solidarity with Macklemore.

Earlier, Sheeran released a statement on Instagram emphasizing that the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour had not been made by him but by the promoter.

In his lengthy statement, Sheeran also said that he had a “personal opinion about this devastating conflict,” but had deliberately chosen “not to speak publicly” about it.

The stance drew criticism from other musicians, including Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, who criticized Sheeran on social media for not publicly speaking out against the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour.