PHILADELPHIA – Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday (Sept 19) with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour as supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage. Sheeran said he wants his music and shows to be about unity and humanity, not politics. He said the attacks in Israel of Oct 7, 2023, were horrific and he considers what is happening in Gaza now to be "catastrophic and unjustifiable." "My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians' lives, of children's lives," Sheeran said during his performance…
