Ed Sheeran Brings Out Former Fray Frontman Isaac Slade in Atlanta Following Tour Opener Departures
Singer Ed Sheeran brought former The Fray frontman Isaac Slade on stage during his Atlanta concert following the exit of his tour openers. Slade performed hit songs and addressed the ongoing Gaza conflict during his opening set, according to reporting by TMZ.
Musician Ed Sheeran added new musical support to his concert stage in Atlanta on Saturday night by bringing out Isaac Slade, the former lead singer of The Fray, according to reporting by TMZ. The unexpected appearance comes after the tour experienced significant changes when its original opening acts stepped away from the lineup. Slade, who publicly departed The Fray in 2022 to focus on his mental health, took the stage before Sheeran performed, delivering renditions of popular tracks including "How to Save a Life" and "You Found Me."
During his set, Slade addressed the audience directly regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. According to TMZ reporting, Slade shared his perspective on the global situation, stating, "Everybody seems to be taking sides in this world and that’s good. What’s happening over there 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." His statement added a moment of reflection to the evening before Sheeran took over the stage for his headlining set.
The surprise guest appearance follows a period of disruption for Sheeran's concert schedule and lineup. TMZ reported that all of Sheeran's opening acts previously pulled out of the tour. The roster departures occurred after rapper Macklemore was removed from the tour following pro-Palestine statements he made during a pair of performances in New Jersey.
Addressing the surrounding controversy during a show in Philadelphia last month, Sheeran told concertgoers that he was "appalled" by the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and offered an apology to fans for the disruptions, as reported by TMZ. The overall tour fallout also led to the cancellation of two planned performances at Robert Kraft's Gillette Stadium during the previous weekend, according to the same TMZ report.
Meanwhile, Macklemore's independent performance ventures have seen strong ticket demand. TMZ reported that the rapper recently announced his standalone "Free Palestine" tour sold out all available tickets across three scheduled performances. As Sheeran continues his concert dates with updated guest appearances like Slade in Atlanta, Kulture Newz has not independently confirmed whether additional permanent opening acts will join the remainder of the tour.