Ed Sheeran’s Saturday, October 3, Loop Tour concert in Atlanta will feature a major change in the wake of the singer’s opening act controversy.
Shortly before Sheeran, 35, takes the stage at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the venue shared a “Know Before You Go” graphic to Instagram for attendees about arrival logistics.
“Parking lots open at 2:00 p.m. [and] gates open at 6:00 p.m.,” the statement read. “Special guest takes the stage at 7 p.m. Ed Sheeran takes the stage at 8:00 p.m.”
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The upload further revealed that the stadium’s 360-degree Halo Board video display won’t be used “at the artist’s request.”
It’s not known who will join Sheeran on the Loop Tour stage. His opening acts Finneas and Lukas Graham voluntarily left the roster in September in solidarity with Macklemore, who was dismissed from the bill over backlash to his MetLife Stadium performances. (Macklemore, 43, chanted “Free Palestine” while opening Sheeran’s two concerts in New Jersey.)
Sheeran, who denies personally firing Macklemore, returned to the Loop Tour in Philadelphia on September 19 without any support acts. He also enlisted a new backing band to replace Beoga after the Irish group similarly left in solidarity with the “Thrift Shop” rapper.
“There are certain songs that just don’t work on the loop pedal, so, when my friends dropped off this show, I was thinking, ‘How am I going to keep the show the same?’” Sheeran said during the show, referring to his signature gear to mix songs himself. “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?”
With just three days’ notice, Sheeran asked violinist Alicia Enstrom and her friends to accompany his live renditions of “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan.”
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“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,” he added at the time. “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.”
Elsewhere during his Philadelphia concert, Sheeran issued a public apology for “mistakes” about how the situation was handled. (The Grammy winner claimed he was pressured by the stadium owners to drop Macklemore from the roster.)
“I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky. A lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised,” he began the show. “I’m not surprised that I’ve even done it. You know, it’s normal. This week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take [it in] and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry.”
According to Sheeran, he stated that he has never wanted to “disappoint fans.”
“This has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech on the most complex issue on the planet,” he continued at the time. “[My music] has always been a safe space for everyone. That matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am. That is why I’m here tonight — on my own — continuing my own tour.”
