Ed Sheeran Breaks Down in Tears at Concert: ‘My Friends and Family Have Abandoned Me’

Ed Sheeran has opened up about one of the toughest weeks of his career, breaking down in tears during his concert in Philadelphia, at a time when the artist is facing strong backlash following Macklemore’s removal from the ‘Loop’ tour.

During Saturday’s concert at Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran sat cross-legged on stage and spoke about the pressure he says he has experienced in recent days. He said some people he had known for years had distanced themselves from him, while others had advised him to cancel the tour.

“In situations like this you really understand who your friends are. It’s been a strange week,” the singer said, according to fan footage.

“Everything happened so fast. At the same time, a lot of people told me to cancel this tour and a lot of people I’ve known for years are walking away from me,” he added.

Sheeran said that, despite the pressure, he had seen something different when he checked ticket sales for the Philadelphia concert.

“I didn’t see cancellations, I saw people buying tickets for this concert,” he said, as the crowd began to applaud. “And I’m feeling like all my friends, family and people I know are abandoning me.”

Sheeran said that, despite everything, he decided to take the stage for the fans.

“I look at the end of this week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me,” he said. “People will say what they want, but I’m doing this for you. I love you. I love this.”

The artist described the concert as “the best show of his life”, while calling the past week one of the worst periods he has experienced.

Later, Sheeran teared up again as he spoke about the support he received from the audience. He admitted that before the concert he had feared for his own safety and worried he might face protests or hostile reactions.

“The world is a scary place right now. America is a scary place right now,” he said, before turning to the crowd: “This gives me hope.”

The singer revealed he had taken extra security measures for the concert. He disclosed that he had removed the secondary stage, known as the ‘B stage’, fearing objects might be thrown at him during the performance.

In recent days, the singer has also faced criticism from his cousin, Jethro Sheeran.

Jethro publicly criticised the artist on social media, claiming Sheeran had treated him unfairly and saying he does not support the way he has been involved in the Macklemore situation.

While Macklemore has previously stated that Sheeran was under pressure to remove him from the tour, Jethro has expressed his belief that the decision was made by Sheeran himself.