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Several fans who attended Ed Sheeran’s concert in Philadelphia last weekend after Macklemore was dropped for making “Free Palestine” comments, warned other artists that if they make political statements, they will alienate half of their audience.
The “Bad Habits” singer is expected to play his second and third concerts since the controversy this Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is owned by Robert Kraft.
The New England Patriots owner allegedly threatened to cancel the concerts at his venue if Macklemore wasn’t taken off the tour, according to the “Thrift Shop” rapper.
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Ed Sheeran is seen performing at a concert in December. (Kevin MazurGetty Images for iHeartRadio)
Macklemore also claimed Kraft got other stadium owners to agree to not allow Sheeran to play at their venues if the rapper was still with his tour.
“The fact that they’re forcing Ed Sheeran to have an opinion is not right,” one woman told Fox News Digital outside last Saturday’s concert. “He wants to stay in the middle – if you have an opinion, that’s fine, but you’re going to alienate at least 50% of your population, and it causes unrest.”
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She said the “Shape of You” singer “just wants to do his music and play his music, and people want to enjoy it. They want to get away from it, and I don’t feel as though they should have to worry about this stuff when they come to a concert.”
Macklemore was dropped as the opening act for Sheeran’s tour earlier this month after he made pro-Palestinian comments at two concerts. The other supporting acts on Sheeran’s tour quit in solidarity with Macklemore.
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In Philadelphia Saturday night, Sheeran made a nearly four-minute-long speech in which he explained to fans that he never wanted to be an activist musician and that he was there continuing his tour alone because he wanted to honor his commitment to fans.
Macklemore performs at a concert at the end of August. (AFP via Getty Images)
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He said he can also see both sides of such a complex issue, admitting that he doesn’t know enough about it, is still learning and will make mistakes as he tries to navigate the situation.
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He added that he could no longer hide how he feels about the humanitarian issue.
Another fan told Fox News Digital ahead of the concert last Saturday that, as artists and musicians have a right to speak their mind: “They also don’t have to — they’re entertainment. I have a right to choose to listen or to not listen. I think it’s all about my choice — I live in America, I can decide to ignore or to listen, and they have the same right.”
Fans arrive for Ed Sheeran’s concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sept. 19. (AFP via Getty Images)
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“It’s a really tough thing,” a woman, who told Fox News Digital she is a schoolteacher, said outside the concert. “I am in a classroom every day, and I have my own thoughts on politics in the same way that I’m sure every artist does. I also do not share those with my students because I want them to have a safe space where they are who they are, and I think that’s kind of the same way I want concerts to be. I want us to have a space where we can be happy and get away from the rest of the world for a little while, and that’s why we’re here.”
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Demonstrators protest outside Ed Sheeran’s concert in Philadelphia on Sept. 19. (Getty Images)
A fifth fan said that he believes “everyone’s entitled to all their feelings. We all come from different backgrounds, different understandings, and trying to group all those together and say, ‘you only have to have one opinion of everything,’ I think it kind of makes it rough for everyone to kind of just enjoy their lives and enjoy what makes them happy.”
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Patriots owner Robert Kraft also owns Gillette Stadium, where Ed Sheeran will play two concerts this weekend. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Another woman at the concert noted that musicians like Sheeran are just trying to make a living.
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“I support the artists — they’re here for the right reasons, and they’re here to make a living, they’re doing something that they love, and they pursue their music for a reason,” she told Fox News Digital. “We enjoy his music and that’s what we’re here for, minus everything else, we’re just here for a good time.”