Ed Sheeran makes huge change to concert after dropping Macklemore

Ed Sheeran has made a huge change to his upcoming concert after support act Macklemore was spectacularly booted from the tour.

The 'A Team' musician's tour has hit headlines in recent days, after Macklemore, who had been supporting Sheeran, announced that he’d been dropped from the remaining dates after he made an on-stage speech in which he stated ‘Free Palestine’.

In a statement, the US rapper said Sheeran had been left in a tough spot after Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft issued an ‘ultimatum’ about him performing there.

Now, a change has been made to the Brit's upcoming show on Saturday (19 September) at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

Lincoln Financial Field (Getty)

It is his first live show since the controversy began, with pro-Palestinian groups reportedly planning to protest outside the venue.

Spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department, Jasmine Reilly, said: "Our officers are talking to his team to make sure all appropriate measures are taken' for protection and ensure Sheeran's safety."

The start time for the gig had originally been scheduled for 5:30pm, with Sheeran set to hit the stage at around 8pm.

However the concert is listed to begin at 8pm on Ticketmaster, pointing to the possibility of him having no support act.

The award-winning singer is preparing to perform his Philadelphia without members of the backup band who had also dropped out, according to TMZ.

Ed Sheeran is performing tonight (Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images)

Remaining dates for his tour are still listed to begin at 5:30pm, according to the ticket website, however only Sheeran is listed on the line-up.

The fallout from Macklemore’s removal sent the tour into chaos, after all of Sheeran’s support acts announced they’d be dropping out.

Irish singer Aaron Rowe was the first to announce he was quitting the tour, swiftly followed by Finneas, Beoga and Danish pop band Lukas Graham.

And in another blow, it was reported that ticket sales for his Loop Tour have taken a tumble amid the ongoing controversy, with data revealing how the price of resale tickets has been steadily falling in recent days.

Macklemore announced that he had been removed from the tour this week (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Macklemore has since pledged to donate his fee from the tour, a cool $1 million, to six organisations that are ‘working directly to support’ people in Palestine.

Ed meanwhile released his own statement, in which he said that the decision to boot Macklemore from the tour hadn’t been down to him and claimed it was the promoters who made the call.