BRITISH POP STAR Ed Sheeran will return to the stage this evening in the US for the first time since his ‘Loop’ tour was thrown into chaos after rapper Macklemore was cancelled as a support act for making pro-Palestine comments on stage.

The singer could be appearing on stage at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field alone as all his support acts have quit the tour, including a number of Irish musicians in the folk band Beoga who accompanied the star on stage for hits like the song ‘Galway Girl’. 

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and FINNEAS, Billie Eilish’s brother, are also amongst the acts who have said they won’t participate in the tour going forward. 

On Friday night’s Late Late Show The Script frontman Danny O’Donoghue offered Rowe a slot supporting him at the 3Arena for one of the nights he was supposed to perform in Tampa with Sheeran, after praising him for walking away from the tour at an early stage in his career. 

There are still tickets available for tonight’s show online, with prices starting at as low as $54. 

The price of the cheapest tickets had fallen from $123 on Monday to $67 by Friday afternoon, and prices have fallen further today. 

Protesters are expected to have a large presence outside the concert venue in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

A rally is to be held by Pro-Palestinian groups nearby the venue before the concert. 

City Police have said that there will be an “appropriate police presence” to help ensure the safety of concertgoers and neighbourhood residents. 

During Macklemore’s first performance on Sheeran’s tour on 4 September, he performed his 2024 protest song Hind’s Hall while footage from Gaza and the occupied West Bank appeared on screens around the stadium.

It was written about Hind Rajab, the six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by the IDF alongside her family in 2024. 

Macklemore also advocated for freedom for people of Cuba, Congo, Sudan and Iran.

The Israeli-American Council (IAC) then launched a petition calling on Sheeran and tour organisers to remove Macklemore from his remaining appearances.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Sheeran confirmed that Macklemore was removed from the tour in a decision taken by tour promoters following pressure by the owners of the stadiums on the upcoming dates.

He said that he does “not use my professional platform for politics” and confirmed that he would be continuing with the tour, adding:

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make money.”

The decision to remove Macklemore was made after billionaire Robert Kraft, who owns the Gillette Stadium, said that the rapper wouldn’t be permitted to perform at his venue.