Ed Sheeran’s high-profile Loop Tour faced another major disruption on Friday when tour promoter Messina Touring Group canceled the singer’s back-to-back weekend dates at Gillette Stadium due to severe weather warnings. The decision to pull the plug on the Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 shows came after weather forecasts predicted a powerful nor’easter bringing heavy rain and high winds across Boston and the broader New England region.
In an official statement issued in coordination with local officials and stadium management, Messina Touring Group emphasized that the safety of fans, venue crew, and production staff was the sole driver behind the abrupt cancellations.
“Due to the severe weather warnings in place in Boston and across New England throughout the weekend and following consultation with local officials, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Ed Sheeran concerts at Gillette Stadium,” the promoter stated. “The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority.”
A Storm-Plagued Stop Following Days of Political Friction
While the weather ultimately shuttered the 64,000-seat stadium, the Foxborough dates were already embroiled in heavy industry scrutiny following a high-stakes political rift between venue owners, promoters, and supporting artists.
The friction began earlier on the U.S. leg when rapper Macklemore made pro-Palestinian remarks during a performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Following those comments, Robert Kraft—billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium—voiced strong objections, stating that the venue would not serve as a platform for what he categorized as “hate speech” and pressuring tour organizers to drop the rapper from the bill.
Messina Touring Group subsequently removed Macklemore from the lineup, sparking a rapid cascade of walkouts across the production. In solidarity with Macklemore, Sheeran’s remaining opening acts as well as his entire live backing band withdrew from the tour.
Sheeran addressed the fallout publicly, explaining that the contractual agreement with Macklemore was executed through the tour promoter rather than his personal team, while acknowledging the awkward position the situation created. During his Sept. 19 show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, an emotional Sheeran spoke to the crowd about feeling caught in the crossfire of a complex global debate and noted that safety concerns had forced him to modify his production setup, including stripping down the B-stage to avoid standing exposed in the center of the audience.
Ticket Refunds and Industry Impact
The artist lineup changes had already triggered state intervention earlier in the week. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced on Sept. 24 that ticketing giant Ticketmaster had agreed to offer advance refunds to fans who no longer wished to attend due to the altered concert bill.
With the weekend dates now officially canceled due to weather, standard ticketing policies apply. Ticketmaster confirmed that all primary ticket buyers for the Gillette Stadium shows will receive automatic refunds to their original payment methods, typically processed within 14 to 21 business days.
The Gillette Stadium cancellations mark a rare double-loss for one of the year’s highest-grossing stadium runs, leaving thousands of New England concertgoers without a rescheduled date as the tour moves forward on its domestic itinerary.
