Ed Sheeran removes B-stage from live return “because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle”

Ed Sheeran has revealed he removed the B-stage from his first live show since the Macklemore controversy, saying he was “afraid of what might happen” if he stood in the middle of the crowd. READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old The singer returned to his ‘Loop’ tour at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field last night (September 19), following a turbulent week in which Macklemore was dropped as a support act over his pro-Palestine comments and all of Sheeran’s remaining support acts and backing band subsequently withdrew. During the Philadelphia show, Sheeran explained that one significant part of the usual production had been removed due to his concerns about entering the crowd. “At this point in the show, to be honest, I usually go out to a B-stage, and I’m going to be totally honest with you, I didn’t know what this audience would be like tonight,” he told the crowd. “I didn’t know if I’d have things thrown at me. I apologise that today is not the usual show. I took the B-stage out because I was afraid of what might happen if I stood in the middle and I will admit that. So, the show is a little bit different.” ‼️| Ed on removing the ...