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Ed Sheeran revealed that he changed his stage layout for his Philadelphia gig on Saturday night because he was 'afraid the audience might throw things at me'.
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audience → see → me
During the recent concert, the Shape Of You hitmaker told the crowd that he had to drastically alter the set up as he was initially going to perform on a B Stage but decided against it.
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he → tell → it
He said: 'At this point in the show, I usually go to a B stage and I'm going to be totally honest with you, I didn't know what this audience would be like.
'
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audience → say → what
I didn't know if I would have things thrown at me.
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things → know → me
I didn't know if people would be angry at me, so today is not the usual Loop show.
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today → know → me
'I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle.
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I → take → middle
And I will admit that.'
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I → admit → that
Security was obviously a big concern for Ed but the gig seemed to go off without a hitch and Philadelphia PD previously told TMZ that they'd be taking 'appropriate measures' for everyone's safety.
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they → seem → safety
Shortly after, Ed performed with a new backing band after his previous team, Irish band Beoga, left the Loop Tour in solidarity with Macklemore’s controversial departure.
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team → perform → departure
Ed Sheeran revealed that he changed his stage layout for his Philadelphia gig on Saturday night because he was 'afraid the audience might throw things at me'
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audience → reveal → me
It comes as the concert was swarmed by pro-Palestine protesters before he took the stage
'There are certain songs that just don’t work on the loop pedal,' Ed explained.
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Ed → come → pedal
'So, when my friends dropped off this show, I was thinking, How am I going to keep the show the same?
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I → drop → show
And how am I going to get musicians to stand on stage with me in a week where no one wants to stand on stage with me?
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one → go → me
Introducing violinist Alicia Enstrom, he continued: 'I rung up a friend of mine, she’s a superb human and I toured with her all of last year [on my Mathematics Tour] and the one the year before that.
'
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I → introduce → that
I said to her, ‘Would you stand on stage with me?”
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you → say → me
And she said, yes.
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she → say → ?
I asked her if she knew some musician friends and she said yes, and they’ve had three days to learn these songs.'
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they → ask → songs
He added: 'I just want to say before they come onstage, they said yes to being onstage with the knowledge that the world thought I was a certain type of person.
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I → add → person
They said yes with the knowledge that the world may hate them too for standing on stage with me, and I am so grateful for them being here tonight and standing on stage with me in front of you guys.'
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them → say → guys
Ed famously plays his concerts live without an accompanying band, using only a loop pedal to mix each track.
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Ed → play → track
However, for tracks Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan he is assisted by a band.
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he → assist → band
Elsewhere during the gig, Ed held back tears as he apologised to fans for his handling of the Israel-Palestine controversy that has threatened to wreck his tour.
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that → hold → tour
He told fans he wasn't sure if upcoming dates would go ahead amid the backlash and threats of a boycott against the decision to drop opener Macklemore over the rapper's support for Palestine.
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dates → tell → Palestine
Ed said he had 'found out who his friends are', adding: 'I cannot hide how I feel... any more.'
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I → say → ?
The singer admitted to making 'mistakes' in his handling of the situation and backtracked on his previous vow not to bring politics to his show as he called the situation in Gaza 'catastrophic and unjustifiable' and Hamas's October 7 attacks 'horrific'.
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attacks → admit → Gaza
In his first stage appearance since the Loop tour was plunged into turmoil, the father of two said he 'never wanted to be an activist musician' but the fierce criticism meant he has had to 'take and make difficult decisions'.
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he → plunge → decisions
He said: 'I really didn't know whether this tour would be carrying on.
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tour → say → ?
In these situations, you really find out who your friends are and it's been a weird week.
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it → find → situations
I just feel like it happened very quickly.'
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it → feel → ?
Ed said his heart had been broken 'by the scale of devastation and loss of lives' and became emotional as he told a cheering crowd: 'I'm so grateful you are here with me tonight.'
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you → say → me
He apologised and became visibly emotional again at the end of the show for bringing politics to his concert – something he had vowed not to do.
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he → apologise → something
Ed said at the end of the night: 'The one thing that I would like to apologise for is the first bit of the show where it wasn't about music and I had to talk.
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I → say → music
During the recent concert, the Shape Of You hitmaker told the crowd that he had to drastically alter the performance set up.
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he → tell → set
He was initially going to perform on a B Stage but decided against it
Ed returned to the stage in Philadelphia for the first time since 43-year-old Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was axed from the tour
'
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Macklemore → go → tour
I understand that people have children here and I understand that families didn't buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show, but that was something I felt like I needed to say.'
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I → understand → show
Ed had previously said that 'those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum'.
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who → say → forum
The gig at the Lincoln Financial Field marked the first time the star returned to the stage since the rapper Macklemore was dropped as his opening act after taking a vocal stance in favour of a 'Free Palestine'.
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rapper → mark → Palestine
In a solemn speech at the start of the concert, Ed said: 'I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity and not division, about humanity and not politics.
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music → say → humanity
But this is a humanitarian issue and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.'
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I → hide → it
'What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.
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happened → happen → pain
…and 37 more, not listed.
The Aporia
