Two upcoming Ed Sheeran concerts set to be held at billionaire Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium have been canceled over inclement weather fears, adding to a rough tour for Sheeran who has become the center of a political firestorm after Macklemore was dropped as an opener for his onstage remarks in support of Palestinians.

Concert promotion company Messina Touring confirmed on Instagram Friday morning the shows, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, will be canceled due to “severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend.”

Refunds will automatically be issued for those who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster, the post says.

The concerts were booked at Gillette Stadium, the Massachusetts venue owned by Kraft, who previously barred Macklemore from performing as Sheeran’s opening act, citing his “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.”

ed sheeran’s tour controversy explained

Sheeran embarked on his Loop Tour earlier this year with a bevy of opening acts, including rapper Macklemore, who performed at the New Jersey stops earlier this month. While on stage, Macklemore called for a “free Palestine” and performed “Hind’s Hall,” a song he released in 2024 accusing Israel of genocide and expressing support for Palestinians. Macklemore was then dropped from the tour, with Messina Touring saying it was “notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup.” Sheeran’s other opening acts quit in solidarity with Macklemore, while Sheeran posted a statement to Instagram saying it was not his decision to drop Macklemore and that he had spoken with Kraft and other venue owners to “try and build a bridge.” In his own post , Macklemore said Sheeran told him that Kraft would not allow him to perform at Gillette Stadium, and that Kraft had “rallied some of the other stadium owners” who gave Sheeran an ultimatum to either remove Macklemore as an opener or cancel his shows. Macklemore later announced a $1 million donation to “six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people,” inviting Kraft to match him. At his next show in Philadelphia, Sheeran said the situation had “put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” apologizing for “making mistakes.” Macklemore also announced his own “Free Palestine” tour , with three shows in Dublin, Paris and London next month, with proceeds benefitting Palestinian organizations. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention,” Macklemore said.

Kraft, 85, is worth $15.2 billion as of Friday morning, according to Forbes estimates . Kraft is the CEO of the Kraft Group and owns the New England Patriots. He bought the Patriots for $172 million in 1994, and the team is now worth more than an estimated $10 billion.

Macklemore Launches 3-Stop ‘Free Palestine’ Tour After Ed Sheeran Controversy (Forbes)

Macklemore Invites Robert Kraft To Match $1 Million Donation To Palestinians (Forbes)