Ed Sheeran canceled his Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as a powerful nor’easter swept toward New England. The weather shutdown abruptly ended a turbulent week marked by lineup controversies, opening act walkouts, and consumer fights over ticket refunds.
Nor’easter Forces Cancellation at Gillette Stadium
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group announced the difficult decision on Friday morning, pointing to severe weather warnings across Boston and New England. Wind gusts in the Foxboro area were projected to reach between 40 and 55 mph, peaking from Friday night through Saturday night as steady, wind-lashed rain battered the coast.
Stadium and tour officials monitored forecasts alongside public safety personnel all week before pulling the plug just hours before Friday’s 8 p.m. show. Sky5 footage captured crews working inside the venue Friday morning to disassemble the massive stage setup, with at least nine tractor-trailers parked on-site to haul away equipment.
Macklemore Removal and Openers Walking Out
The weather cancellation brings a chaotic halt to a leg of the Loop Tour that had already unraveled off-stage over a bitter dispute about artistic expression. Rapper Macklemore was originally slated to open both Foxborough dates, but he was dropped from the tour after shouting Free Palestine
during a September 4 concert at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, personally intervened to bar the rapper from performing at the venue. Kraft cited Macklemore’s remarks and what the owner described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.
Kraft argued that ignoring the actions of Hamas while sharing selective information advanced divisiveness and hate. Macklemore countered on social media by stating that Sheeran had informed him Kraft rallied other stadium owners to force his removal. Following Macklemore’s dismissal, all remaining supporting acts—including Finneas O’Connell, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Sheeran collaborators Beoga—quit the tour in protest.
Attorney General Steps In Over Ticket Refunds
Before the nor’easter wiped out the weekend, ticketholders faced a different kind of storm trying to claw back their money after the lineup was completely gutted. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office received more than 170 consumer complaints from fans struggling to secure refunds from Ticketmaster.
Campbell’s office fired off a demand letter insisting that buyers be given a clear path to refunds if they no longer wished to attend following significant lineup changes. Ticketmaster relented on Thursday, agreeing to process refunds for fans who acted at least 24 hours before showtime.
Friday’s weather cancellation rendered those individual refund deadlines moot for the Foxborough dates. Messina Touring Group confirmed that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster will be automatically refunded, while buyers using other channels can seek money back at their original point of purchase.
Sheeran Defends Onstage Free Speech Concerns
Sheeran performed his Philadelphia concert last weekend without any opening acts while addressing the political turmoil head-on. Amid outside protests, he called the October 7 attacks in Israel horrific and labeled the situation in Gaza catastrophic and unjustifiable,
while maintaining he wanted his music to focus on shared humanity rather than partisan politics.
The headliner also voiced deep unease regarding venues demanding pre-approval over what performers are allowed to say on stage.
Sheeran noted that while such restrictions happen globally, they have no place in the free world. With the Foxborough weekend officially wiped off the calendar, the Loop Tour is scheduled to resume in Atlanta on October 3.