A severe weekend nor'easter bringing heavy rain and powerful wind gusts up to 65 mph across New England has forced the cancellation of major concert events along the US East Coast.
English pop star Ed Sheeran canceled his Friday and Saturday performances at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Concert promoter Messina Touring confirmed the decision was made alongside local officials to ensure public safety with promising full refunds to ticket holders.
The storm also forced organizers of the Global Citizen, CBGB and All Things Go festivals in New York to cancel their weekend lineups were set to feature artists including Lauryn Hill, Patti Smith and Carly Rae Jepsen.
The weather cancellations follow weeks of disruption for Sheeran's "Loop Tour." Opener Macklemore was recently removed from the tour following pro-Palestinian comments made on stage during a New Jersey concert with prompting other supporting acts to withdraw in solidarity.
Macklemore attributed his removal to pressure from billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. In response Macklemore announced a standalone "Free Palestine" benefit tour starting next month in Europe with all proceeds directed to Palestinian humanitarian relief organizations.
