Ed Sheeran postponed his concert at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium at the last minute on Saturday (Sept. 9), leaving thousands of fans waiting outside in the uncomfortable heat.
The British pop star took to social media at around 5:30 p.m. PT to break the news to concertgoers, many of whom traveled from other cities to attend the show and were lined up outside the venue.
“I can’t believe I’m typing this but there’s been some challenges encountered during the load in of our vegas show,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram. “It’s impossible to go forward with the show. I’m so sorry. I know everyone has travelled in for this and I wish I could change it. The gig will be postponed to Saturday October 28th and all purchased tickets will be valid for that date. I’m so, so sorry x.”
With temperatures reaching over 90 degrees, some fans required medical treatment for heat-related issues, the Clark County Fire Department reportedly told Las Vegas’ 8 News Now. One fan was even taken to a local hospital.
“We were just worried about safety and communication,” a ticket-buyer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Us having to be the ones who had to carry the people to medics, having to tell people it was canceled, it was unacceptable.”
Allegiant Stadium crew members told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that 65,000 tickets were sold to Sheeran’s show, which would’ve made it the biggest concert ever at the facility. The singer-songwriter’s complex stage setup — which includes 360-degree video screens and multiple sound towers — ultimately led to “production issues” that forced the postponement, the Review-Journal reports.
Allegiant Stadium officially cited “technical issues” as the reason for delaying the show, a rep for the venue told TMZ. Despite the problems, Sheeran reportedly stayed back for about an hour to sign autographs for fans who made it inside the stadium.
On Sunday, Sheeran shared a screenshot of a news report and a personal update with his fans on Instagram. The report pictured stated that there was “a flooring problem” at the venue, with rubber tiling becoming unstuck. This apparently caused two tall towers to slip by a foot each overnight.
“A little bit more context on the cancellation yesterday,” Sheeran wrote in his own words. “It was a safety issue, and we really tried to do the best we could to make the show happen but I’m not gonna risk the safety of my fans for anything. I really am gutted, this was very much out of my control but I do take full responsibility for everyone that was put out from the cancellation. Of course refunds are available at point of purchase, and there is a rescheduled show October the 28th if people still want to come, I promise it will be special. Nothing will take away from the effort people went to to get to vegas though and I’m sorry it wasn’t communicated sooner to the people waiting outside. We really thought the show was going to happen up until the very last moment but it just couldn’t for safety reasons. Sorry again to everyone affected, and hopefully see you in October x.”
Sheeran is gearing up for the release of his upcoming album, Autumn Variations, which drops Sept. 29 through his Gingerbread Man Records. The set arrives shortly after the North American leg of his Mathematics World Tour wraps at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 23.
Autumn Variations is Sheeran’s second album this year, following Subtract, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums in May. The album also launched at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, with Sheeran’s largest sales week since 2017.
See Sheeran’s posts about the Las Vegas postponement on Instagram below.
