He told his audience in Philadelphia on Saturday he has "made mistakes" after controversy erupted over Macklemore's removal from the tour following on-stage comments the rapper made about the conflict in Gaza.
"I've had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I'm so, so sorry for them," he said.
"I don't want to disappoint fans, and I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet.
"What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian's lives, children's lives. And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked," he said.
"I am honestly so grateful that you're here tonight with me," an emotional Sheeran told fans.
"This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone can stand beside people that they don't agree with on everything, but they can all agree on singing these songs."
The show comes after a tumultuous week that opened with Macklemore being dropped in response to exclaiming "Free Palestine" during a September 5 show in New Jersey.
Macklemore was replaced by Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe before they backed out.
Finneas, Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year before he too dropped out.
A group of about 50 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied outside the stadium before the concert.
Sheeran had said he was not responsible for the decision, which came at the urging of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. His company owns a stadium where Sheeran's tour was scheduled to play on Friday.
Within hours of Sheeran's statement Tuesday, his supporting acts withdrew.
Macklemore said on Wednesday he was donating $US1 million ($A1.4 million) to support Palestinian relief efforts and called on Kraft to match the gift; a spokesperson for Kraft has said the billionaire and Sheeran have each agreed to donate $US2 million ($A2.8 million) but have not specified where the money will be directed.Â
Sheeran's Loop Tour was the highest-grossing in the world, with an average box office gross of over $US7 million ($A9.8 million) per city, Pollstar said in May. Through the end of 2025, Sheeran was the No. 3 top-earning concert act since 2021.
with PA
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