Ed Sheeran finally had an opening act again on Saturday night, as The Fray's former frontman Isaac Slade appeared as a surprise 'special guest' before Sheeran's headline set at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The appearance was the first time another artist has opened for Sheeran since the Loop Tour was thrown into turmoil last month. Macklemore was dropped from the bill after pro-Palestinian remarks at shows in New Jersey, and support acts Finneas and Lukas Graham plus backing band Beoga quit in solidarity, leaving Sheeran to play recent dates solo. Sheeran broke down in tears at his first show back in Philadelphia, admitting he had made 'mistakes' while insisting 'I am not complicit'; two Foxborough shows were then cancelled over extreme weather.
Slade, 45, performed Fray hits including 'How to Save a Life' and 'You Found Me' before turning to the controversy, urging the crowd to seek common ground: 'What's happening over there [in Gaza] is wrong,' he said, '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 unannounced slot had been teased by the venue's 'Know Before You Go' graphic, and Slade had previously joined Sheeran onstage at a Loop Tour stop in Toronto in August.
