Ed Sheeran’s concerts scheduled for this weekend at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts have been cancelled because of severe weather expected to hit New England.
The Friday and Saturday shows at the home of the New England Patriots were called off after stadium and tour officials reviewed the forecast for a major nor’easter moving towards the region.
A representative for the stadium’s owner, Robert Kraft, said the decision was made after officials monitored the weather throughout the week.
“Stadium and tour management, along with public safety officials, have been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past week. Due to the severe weather forecast throughout the weekend, the tour has made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium.”
The representative said the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the concerts was the priority. “Refunds are available now at the point of purchase. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded.”
The cancellation came a day after preparations for the back-to-back concerts were halted because of the worsening weather outlook.
Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Gillette Stadium is located, was forecast to receive between one and two inches of rain, with wind gusts reaching up to 40 mph.
The concerts were already facing changes to Sheeran’s touring lineup after Macklemore was removed from the tour following controversy over his repeated references to Palestine during performances.
Sheeran’s other opening acts and backing band later left the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, leaving the singer to perform without his usual touring lineup at a Philadelphia concert.
The Massachusetts Peace Action group had also planned a protest at Saturday’s Gillette Stadium show.
The weather cancellation came a day after Macklemore announced his planned “Free Palestine Tour”, in which he criticised Sheeran and Kraft.
For now, both of Sheeran’s Gillette Stadium performances have been cancelled, with ticket refunds being processed through the original points of purchase.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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