ED SHEERAN GIGS AT GILLETTE STADIUM CANCELLED OVER WEATHER

Messina Touring, which organises Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, has cancelled both of his concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, citing severe weather warnings across Boston and New England. The promoter said the warnings applied throughout the weekend and the decision followed consultation with local officials. It said the safety of fans, staff and crew had been the top priority in cancelling the shows. Refunds are available at the point of purchase, and ticket holders who bought through Ticketmaster will be refunded automatically.

The cancellations follow a dispute over the tour's support line-up, after Sheeran's warm-up acts withdrew once Macklemore was removed as an opening act for comments he made about Gaza. Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, was among those who told Sheeran the venue would not host the shows unless Macklemore was taken off the bill. Sheeran played his first concert since that dispute last Saturday, performing with a new backing band and without the smaller "b-stage" he normally uses in the crowd. He said he removed the b-stage because he feared what might happen if he stood in the middle of the venue.

Speaking at that show, Sheeran said the dispute had left him questioning whether he still wanted to be an artist, telling the crowd he had not known whether people would be angry with him or whether objects might be thrown at him on stage. He said he had previously avoided acting as a "political commentator" because he wanted his concerts to be about "unity", but added he could no longer hide how he felt about the situation. The Gillette Stadium dates remain cancelled, with refunds being processed, according to the tour promoter.