Ed Sheeran Taps Isaac Slade as Surprise Guest for Atlanta Concert
The Fray frontman Isaac Slade performed as a surprise guest act for Ed Sheeran at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, taking the stage weeks after previous supporting acts quit the Loop Tour. Slade delivered an abbreviated set featuring hits including How to Save a Life and You Found Me before Sheeran’s performance.
Slade Addresses Gaza Conflict Onstage
Slade co-founded The Fray but left the band in 2022 to focus on his mental health following onstage panic attacks, later launching his first solo tour in December 2025. Mercedes-Benz Stadium had teased Slade’s appearance in a “Know Before You Go” Instagram post on Saturday by listing a “special guest” ahead of the 8 p.m. show.
Tour Lineup Changes Follow Macklemore Removal
Prior to some recent Loop Tour concerts, Sheeran took the stage without any traditional support acts because Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and the backing group Beoga walked away from the tour to back Macklemore. Macklemore performed at two Loop Tour shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium wearing a keffiyeh and shouting “Free Palestine” while performing his song Hind’s Hall. Shortly afterward, event organizers announced that Macklemore had been dropped from the lineup following threats from Jewish NFL owner Robert Kraft and other performance venues to cancel upcoming concerts featuring the hip-hop artist. Sheeran’s planned shows at Gillette Stadium were subsequently cancelled due to bad weather.
Sheeran Responds to Tour Controversy
Addressing the fallout during his September 19 show at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran told fans he had been “making mistakes” and was “so, so sorry” for how the situation unfolded. “This has put me in the middle of an important, passionate argument about freedom of speech on the most complex issue on the planet,” Sheeran said, adding that his music has always been a safe space and that honoring his commitment to fans remains essential. In a separate development on Friday night, country music artist Zach Bryan donned a “Free Palestine” T-shirt during his performance at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts—a venue owned by Kraft—while several bandmates also sported attire in solidarity with Palestine.
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