Ed Sheeran’s two Loop Tour concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, have been canceled as a major nor’easter threatens the region with damaging winds.
Promoter Messina Touring confirmed the decision in an Instagram statement on Friday morning, Sept. 25. The stadium shows had been scheduled for Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26.
“Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” the statement said.
The promoter said safety concerns drove the cancellation, with “fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows” treated as the top priority.
Refunds are now available through the original point of purchase. Fans who bought their tickets through Ticketmaster will receive automatic refunds.
The approaching storm is forecast to bring strong and potentially damaging winds to coastal areas. Gusts around Foxborough are predicted to reach between 40 and 55 mph, with the most severe conditions expected from Friday night through Saturday night.
Sheeran’s concerts are not the only music events affected by the weather. Ocean Calling Festival announced on Thursday that the opening day of its three-day event had been canceled because of the storm’s expected impact.
Loop Tour faced earlier opening-act upheaval
The weather cancellation follows a separate period of disruption for Sheeran’s tour involving former opening act Macklemore.
Macklemore had initially been scheduled to support Sheeran at both Gillette Stadium dates. He was removed from the tour after chanting “Free Palestine” and performing his politically charged protest song “Hind’s Hall” during a Sept. 4 concert at MetLife Stadium.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the audience that night.
The Israeli-American Council subsequently launched a petition calling for the rapper to be taken off the tour. After Macklemore performed at two shows, Messina Touring Group announced that he had been dropped.
The tour’s other opening acts — Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga — then said they were leaving the tour voluntarily in solidarity.
Sheeran went on to perform two concerts in Philadelphia without the opening acts last weekend. Speaking from the stage at Lincoln Financial Field, he told the audience that he wanted his shows to focus on unity and humanity rather than politics.
“What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,” Sheeran said. “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives, and the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
His remarks referred to the Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel by Hamas militants, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were kidnapped, and to Israel’s retaliation in the years since. The Gaza Health Ministry has said that more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 170,000 injured.
What Happens Next?
With the Gillette Stadium dates canceled, Sheeran’s next scheduled Loop Tour performance is set for Oct. 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.