British singer Ed Sheeran broke down on stage at the first show of his Loop Tour, addressing controversy after the tour’s promoter dropped singer Macklemore over his comment on the ongoing crisis in Palestine.

The “Shape of You” crooner addressed fans on the fallout with Macklemore while performing at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, U.S., on Saturday.

The 35-year-old apologised to fans and addressed criticism that he made mistakes, saying he never wanted to be seen as an activist musician.

He noted that his shows were a place of love and hope despite political issues.

Mr Sheeran said, “I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet. My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me.”

He added that he would honour his commitment to completing his tour.

Mr Sheeran criticised the pre-approval of performers’ content ahead of their shows, which he said happens in many venues around the world, and should not occur in a free world.

On his position on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, he told the audience, “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, not division, about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.

“What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives.”

Mr Sheeran described the situation in the region as a “systemic injustice” in the West Bank.

The controversy began after Macklemore was dropped from his tour over his remarks about the war in Israel and Palestine during a performance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey earlier this month.

Mr Sheeran acknowledged that the decision was taken by his tour promoter and not him.

The development made other musicians such as Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga, who were set to feature in the tour to withdraw in solidarity with the singer.