<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><em>Washington Examiner</em> columnist <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/joe-concha/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joe Concha</a> stated that Ed Sheeran should have refrained from political commentary during his concert following backlash over Macklemore's removal from the tour after the rapper made pro-<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/palestinians/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palestinian</a> remarks onstage.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Ed Sheeran should’ve just let this go and just gone to <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/philadelphia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Philadelphia</a> and performed the songs that people wanted to hear,” Concha said on <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Fox News Live</em></a> on Sunday.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During Sheeran’s Philadelphia performance, his first since Macklemore's removal, the singer indicated he never intended to be an “activist musician,” emphasizing that his shows were meant to promote unity rather than division.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“But this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” Sheeran stated.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sheeran addressed the impact of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks and the subsequent response by Israel. While he described the attacks as “horrific,” he also stated that the situation in Gaza since then is “unjustifiable and disproportionate.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“But I went back and looked, and during the concert Ed Sheeran performed right after Oct. 7, 2023, and the attacks by Hamas that obviously left 1,200 dead in Israel, the worst atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust, Sheeran did not, at that time, utter one peep about all those who were murdered, raped, or kidnapped on that horrible day,” Concha remarked.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The British musician is recognized for avoiding political stances and has distanced himself from social media. Pop singer Taylor Swift humorously noted that she needed to contact Sheeran's assistant to reach him, as he prefers to stay offline.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/world/4734999/ed-sheeran-macklemore-concert-speech/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>ED SHEERAN ADDRESSES MACKLEMORE CONTROVERSY IN PRE-CONCERT SPEECH</strong></a></p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Concha expressed that concertgoers do not wish to pay over $100 for seats only to hear an “Ivy League campus protest.” He noted that Sheeran generated approximately $100 million in revenue from the first 17 dates of the tour, suggesting that Sheeran should take action rather than merely making financial contributions.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Surely he can afford to go to Gaza and do something with his own hands to help people, instead of writing them a check and complaining from afar,” Concha said. “But in the end, people just want to hear music.”</p>