Ed Sheeran was set to play two concerts at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, this weekend following weeks of controversy surrounding his tour, but the promoter has announced both shows have been canceled due to an impending nor’easter. “Due to the severe weathe r 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,” Messina Touring Group posted to social media late Friday morning. “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority.” Gillette Stadium shared the promoter’s post to their Instagram story. Sheeran hasn’t publicly commented yet. Refunds are available now at the point of purchase, Messina Touring added. Ticketholders who purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded. Sheeran’s Loop Tour was already engulfed in controversy. It was first thrown into turmoil when the rapper Macklemore was dropped as an opener because of pro-Palestinian comments he made onstage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sept. 5. Macklemore said his removal from Sheeran’s tour was the result of an effort led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the NFL team plays and where Sheeran was set to perform Friday and Saturday before weather interfered. At the time, Sheeran said the decision to cut Macklemore from the Loop Tour was the promoter’s, Messina Touring Group, not his own. The Grammy winner was adamant last week that he wouldn’t be drawn into discussion of the war in Gaza, arguing that his fans — which include young people, often children, of all backgrounds — don’t come to his shows to hear about these issues. He also said he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge” before Macklemore was dropped. He insisted he would never willingly let down his fans or abandon the touring crew and others who rely on him to make a living. Since then, all of Sheeran’s other supporting acts have dropped out, including a group that plays with Sheeran during part of the show. Kraft’s involvement was implicitly cited in some of the statements from the supporting acts who left Sheeran’s tour, decrying the influence of money. The Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe were scheduled to replace Macklemore as the opening acts on Sheeran’s remaining U.S. tour dates. Finneas, the American singer and close collaborator with sister Billie Eilish, was down to open for Sheeran on four of his South American dates. Beoga, an Irish folk band, had been performing with Sheeran for part of his set since his tour began in January in New Zealand. “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote. The announcements from each supporting act came roughly within an hour of each other last Tuesday following Sheeran’s statement. Rowe and Beoga cited their country’s history to explain their decision. “We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be,” Beoga posted. Rowe called Sheeran a friend. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he wrote, adding that he couldn’t “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up.” Lukas Graham also appeared to take a veiled shot at Kraft, writing: “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.” Kraft said in a statement that the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of the rapper’s recent comments “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real,” Kraft said. Protest was planned Protesters had planned to be at Sheeran’s concert on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, with Massachusetts Peace Action saying it was planning a demonstration before the show in solidarity with Macklemore. Macklemore new concert Grammy Award winner Macklemore will soon return to the live stage. The rapper has announced “Free Palestine,” a series of performances with all proceeds to benefit Palestinian aid organizations. The run will begin with three dates next month in Europe. It kicks off at Dublin’s 3Arena on Oct. 26, followed by Paris’ Accor Arena on Oct. 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on Oct. 30. Additional artist announcements, as well as U.S. dates, are forthcoming. An artist presale begins at 10 a.m. local time Monday at Macklemore.com. According to a press release from Live Nation, the shows will benefit several Palestinian aid organizations, including Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, HEAL Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians. Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and an U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA USA. “If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram in the caption of his “Free Palestine” announcement. “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 had already announced last week that he would donate $1 million from his net earnings from Sheeran’s tour to six organizations helping Palestinians, challenging Kraft to match him. “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” Macklemore wrote. Kraft said in an Instagram post shortly afterward that Sheeran contacted him before Macklemore put out his statement to ask for a $2 million match to aid “in the region.” “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Kraft wrote. A spokesperson confirmed that the billionaire will be donating the matching funds. His post didn’t specify the benefactors of the donation and the spokesperson did not identify the recipients. This story originally appeared on NBCBoston.com. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less