Ed Sheeran's Two Gillette Stadium Concerts Canceled as Nor'easter Nears Massachusetts

Ed Sheeran has scrapped two planned concerts at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts as a strong nor'easter was expected to hit the region. The Friday and Saturday performances at the New England Patriots' home venue were canceled. A representative for Robert Kraft, the Patriots owner, said stadium officials, Sheeran's tour managers and public safety agencies had been reviewing weather forecasts all week before making the call. The representative explained that stadium and tour management, working with public safety officials, had been tracking the forecast over the past week. Because severe weather was predicted for the entire weekend, the tour made what was described as a difficult choice to cancel the Gillette Stadium shows. The representative said the safety of fans, staff and everyone connected to the concerts was the main concern. Refunds are now available at the original point of purchase. People who bought tickets through Ticketmaster will receive automatic refunds. The approaching storm had already disrupted preparations: stage construction was reportedly stopped on Thursday due to weather worries. Foxborough, the town where Gillette Stadium is located, was expected to get one to two inches of rain, and wind gusts could reach 40 mph. The cancellations occurred as Sheeran's tour faced broader fallout after Macklemore left his slot as an opening act. Macklemore had drawn criticism for pro-Palestinian comments during earlier shows, including saying 'Free Palestine'. Kraft was later reported to have helped remove him from the tour. Other opening acts and some members of Sheeran's backing band subsequently quit the tour in support of Macklemore, leading Sheeran to perform without them at a recent Philadelphia concert. Massachusetts Peace Action, an advocacy organization, had also said it planned to protest outside Saturday's Gillette Stadium show because of the controversy. The weather-related cancellation was announced one day after Macklemore unveiled his Free Palestine Tour and criticized Sheeran and Kraft while promoting the new dates. Even with the controversy, officials said the Gillette Stadium shows were called off because of the severe weather forecast and safety concerns for fans, staff and others involved.