Key Takeaways

  • Ed Sheeran’s Friday and Saturday shows at Gillette Stadium got canceled this weekend when a nor’easter brought 40 to 55 mph wind gusts to the Boston area.
  • It’s the latest hit for a tour that’s already had a rocky few weeks, including a solo show in Philadelphia after other acts dropped off the bill.
  • Ticketmaster buyers get automatic refunds, everyone else has to go back to the point of sale, and the tour picks back up in Atlanta on October 3.

Jump to:

Ed Sheeran cannot buy a break on this leg of his tour. Two sold-out shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro this weekend got wiped out by a nor’easter before a single ticket got scanned. That’s two nights, tens of thousands of fans, and a whole production crew standing around watching a storm system do what Sheeran’s own tour couldn’t do to itself: shut the whole thing down.

I’ve lived through enough Chicago summers to know outdoor shows and unpredictable weather don’t mix, but this one stings a little more because of everything else this tour has already been through.

What Happened at Gillette This Weekend

Sheeran was booked for back-to-back nights at Gillette Stadium, Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27, both set for 8 p.m. A nor’easter moving through New England brought forecasted wind gusts between 40 and 55 mph, along with heavy rain, and tour promoter Messina Touring pulled the plug on both nights rather than risk it.

Their statement was straightforward: the decision came down to safety for fans, staff, and everyone involved in the show. That’s the right call every time weather gets anywhere near stadium-tour territory. A pop concert isn’t worth somebody getting hurt in a collapsed rig or a flying piece of scaffolding.

A Tour That Cannot Catch a Break

Here’s what makes this one sting worse than a normal rainout. This tour already had a rough stretch heading into New England. Sheeran ended up performing a show solo in Philadelphia earlier this month after some of his supporting acts left the bill following a run of backstage tension. That’s not the kind of thing that happens on a tour that’s running smoothly.

So now you’ve got a tour that already lost its full lineup for a night, and now loses two full stadium shows to weather on top of it. At some point you have to wonder if 2026 is just a cursed year for big outdoor tours. I covered Jay-Z’s two nights at Yankee Stadium earlier this year and that run went off without a hitch. Sheeran’s crew has not been nearly as lucky.

What This Means If You Had Tickets

If you bought through Ticketmaster, you don’t have to do anything. Refunds are processing automatically back to your original payment method. If you bought somewhere else, secondary market or otherwise, you’ll need to go back to wherever you originally purchased the ticket to sort out a refund.

There’s no word yet on a makeup date at Gillette. The tour’s next stop on the books is Atlanta on October 3, so if you were hoping for a reschedule in Foxboro, you might be waiting a while for an official answer.

Outdoor Stadium Tours Have a Weather Problem

This is the part of the story that actually matters beyond one bad weekend for one artist. Stadium tours are bigger business than ever. Everybody wants the spectacle of 60,000 people in one building for one night. But that business model runs entirely on outdoor infrastructure that a single storm system can shut down completely, no rain date built in, no indoor backup plan.

Compare that to something like Oasis announcing their Live ’27 run, which is already generating the kind of demand where fans are registering months in advance. These tours print money when everything goes right. But artists and promoters are going to have to start building actual weather contingencies into stadium runs, because 2026 has shown that one nor’easter or one heat dome can wipe out a full weekend of revenue with zero notice.

My take: Sheeran and his team made the right call canceling instead of risking it. But this is the second time this tour has had to improvise around a problem nobody planned for, and that’s a pattern worth watching as this run continues into the fall.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were Ed Sheeran’s Gillette Stadium concerts canceled?

A nor’easter brought forecasted wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph and heavy rain to the Boston area, and tour promoter Messina Touring canceled both the Friday and Saturday shows for safety reasons.

Will Ed Sheeran reschedule the Gillette Stadium shows?

No makeup date has been announced yet. The tour’s next confirmed stop is Atlanta on October 3.

How do I get a refund for my Ed Sheeran Gillette Stadium tickets?

Tickets bought through Ticketmaster are being refunded automatically to the original payment method. Tickets bought elsewhere need to be refunded through the original point of sale.

Has this tour had other problems besides the weather?

Yes. Earlier this month, Sheeran performed a show in Philadelphia without his usual supporting lineup after some acts left the bill following backstage tension.