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British singer Ed Sheeran opened his latest concert alone onstage and spoke for the first time about the controversy that erupted over American rapper Macklemore being dropped from his tour over pro-Palestinian remarks.
"I never wanted to be an activist musician but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about free speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," he said.
Saturday's show at a Philadelphia sports stadium was a stripped down event and there were a number of empty seats in the venue when the concert began.
Sheeran went on without opening acts, causing the show's start time to be pushed back, after several musicians dropped out over the debacle.
The price for tickets dropped and sales declined for the remaining US leg of his Loop Tour.
The singer has said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by his promoters, not him.
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