Ed Sheeran says situation in Gaza is 'catastrophic and unjustifiable' as he opens solo concert

Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/2721x1814+0+0/resize/2721x1814!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2Fff%2Fe3acbd2949d08e867507620d030a%2Fap26261595285689.jpg' alt='FILE - Ed Sheeran attends the Time100 Gala, in New York on April 24, 2025.'/><p>Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.</p><p>(Image credit: Evan Agostini)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5974977' />