Photo Credit: Ed Sheeran and Isaac Slade in Toronto / @edhq (Instagram)
Ed Sheeran brings out a surprise opener at his October 3 show in Atlanta amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s exit.
On Saturday, October 3, Ed Sheeran brought out a surprise guest opener at his show in Atlanta, following Macklemore’s controversial exit from the tour. After the rapper was ousted from the tour due to his pro-Palestine speech at a stop in New Jersey last month, the rest of Sheeran’s backing acts bowed out in solidarity. These included Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga. Now, former The Fray frontman Isaac Slade served as the opener for Sheeran in Atlanta over the weekend.
Surprisingly, Slade addressed the war in Gaza when he took the stage, arguing for a “middle place” in the conversations surrounding the controversial topic.
“We will find a way through this together,” Slade told the crowd on Saturday. He previously joined Sheeran on stage during a tour stop in Toronto back in August.
Slade’s words follow Sheeran’s own about the controversy, spoken during his Philadelphia show last month.
“This is not usually how I open a show, but before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” Sheeran said at the time. “I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, (…) but this week, the criticism was about something more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions,” he explained, apologizing for the way he handled the situation.
Since Macklemore was removed from the tour and Sheeran’s backing band bid him adieu, the “Shape of You” singer has been performing his Loop Tour shows without a traditional opening act.
“(My music) has always been a safe space for everyone. That matters hugely to me,” Sheeran said during his show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. “Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am. That is why I’m here tonight—on my own—continuing my own tour.”
Slade’s appearance at the Atlanta show has fans wondering if the “How to Save a Life” artist will accompany Sheeran at more upcoming dates, or if he will continue to tour solo.
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