Ed Sheeran Taps Former Fray Singer Isaac Slade as Atlanta Opener After Macklemore Dropped, Support Acts Quit

Ed Sheeran enlisted a familiar face as a surprise opener for his Loop Tour stop in Atlanta.

During his Saturday (Oct. 3) concert at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the English singer-songwriter welcomed Isaac Slade, the former frontman of The Fray, as a special guest to perform an abbreviated set before Sheeran took the stage.

Slade performed The Fray’s “How to Save a Life” and “You Found Me” while also addressing the war in Gaza and urging the audience to seek common ground amid the polarization surrounding the conflict.

“Everybody seems to be taking sides in this world and that’s good,” Slade told the crowd in fan-captured video. “What’s happening over there [in Gaza] is wrong but if we’re going to get through it, we’re going to need people to step into that middle place, that common ground.”

The singer continued, “That bonfire in the middle of the field that sees both sides, that understands that peace is not a lack of conflict. Peace is not a blank canvas that we need to guard and be polite.”

“[Peace] holds enough beauty, enough tragedy, enough sorrow, enough joy and life if we learn how to integrate it and hold each other in balance. We will find a way through this together,” he added.

Slade’s appearance came amid the fallout from the removal of Sheeran’s previous opening act Macklemore from the U.S. leg of the tour. The “Thrift Shop” rapper took the stage at Sheeran’s Sept. 4 and 5 shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where he performed “Hind’s Hall” and called for a “Free Palestine.”

Macklemore was scheduled to open several remaining Loop Tour dates, including Saturday’s show in Atlanta. Sheeran later said the decision to remove him was made by the tour’s promoter after venues indicated they would not allow the shows to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup.

Following Macklemore’s removal, the other scheduled supporting acts — Aaron Rowe, Finneas and Lukas Graham — withdrew from the tour. Sheeran’s backing band, Beoga, also departed.

Since leaving Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore has launched his own headlining Free Palestine Tour, with dates already sold out.

Sheeran subsequently performed his Sept. 19 show in Philadelphia without an opening act. During the concert, he addressed the controversy and said he wanted his shows to focus on “love, hope and unity,” while also acknowledging the suffering in both Israel and Gaza.

Slade previously joined Sheeran onstage during the singer’s Loop Tour stop in Toronto in August, where they performed “How to Save a Life.” Sheeran told the audience he had been a fan of Slade’s music and songwriting during his formative years as a teenager.