Isaac Slade urges common ground at Sheeran’s Atlanta show

Isaac Slade made a one-night guest appearance at Ed Sheeran’s Atlanta concert on October 3, performing two songs by The Fray and urging the audience to seek common ground over the war in Gaza. The appearance came as Sheeran’s Loop Tour continued without several of its announced support acts, but it did not establish Slade as a permanent replacement. Slade performed an abbreviated set before Sheeran’s headline performance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He sang “How to Save a Life” and “You Found Me,” then spoke about the conflict in Gaza. In remarks captured in circulating concert videos, Slade said the situation was wrong and called on people to move beyond taking sides and find common ground. He described peace as involving the ability to recognize and hold opposing experiences, rather than simply avoiding conflict. The stadium had indicated in a pre-show Instagram graphic that a special guest would open the concert, but did not identify Slade in advance. He had previously joined Sheeran onstage during a Loop Tour concert in Toronto in August.