The cancellation was reported by the BBC, CBS Boston and Boston 25 News, with the venue and tour promoter pointing to severe weather conditions and safety concerns. The shows, scheduled for Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26, were part of Sheeran’s ongoing Loop Tour. Both dates were listed as canceled on Ticketmaster, with the concerts originally scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
Ed Sheeran’s two sold-out concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, were canceled just hours before the scheduled performances as a powerful nor’easter threatened New England.
Sheeran returned to the stage in Philadelphia on September 19 with a new backing lineup and addressed the turmoil surrounding the tour. The Massachusetts shows were therefore already among the most closely watched dates on the Loop Tour. The decision came as a major fall nor’easter moved toward the region, bringing the threat of heavy rain, strong winds, coastal flooding and rough surf across parts of New England. Local weather warnings remained in effect through the weekend, prompting concerns about travel as well as conditions at the outdoor stadium. The controversy also prompted several artists connected with the tour to withdraw.
Their cancellation, however, was officially attributed to the weather rather than the earlier dispute.