Ed Sheeran cancels Allegiant Stadium show over fears the set could collapse

Ed Sheeran took to social media to shed more context into the last-minute cancellation of his show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday night, Sept. 9. He credited it to a flooring problem flagged just hours before he was set to perform.

The "Thinking Out Loud" singer was only looking after his fans as he explained on Instagram on Sunday that the cancellation was because of safety issues on the site. He shared that he and his team tried their best to push through with the show but he was not going to risk anyone's safety for anything.

The 32-year-old included a screenshot of a report from The Sun that cited a flooring problem flagged when his team brought their gear in ahead of soundcheck. The rubber tiling had reportedly become unstuck, leading to a couple of tall towers "to slip overnight by about a foot each".

Both towers still shifted at the stadium even after engineers tore the rig apart and reinforced the rebuild. The publication cited an unnamed source who said: "Health and safety is paramount at gigs of all magnitude and scale - but even more so at a 65,000-seater NFL stadium. The issue was with the floor rather than the stage itself but Ed and his crew battled for 24 hours to salvage the show."

Sheeran shared that he was "gutted" over the cancellation but the situation was out of his control. He takes responsibility for those who purchased the tickets and says refunds are available for those who cannot make it to the new schedule on Oct. 28.

He added: "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."

Fans were left waiting outside the venue under blistering heat for hours after they were initially told the show was delayed then ultimately cancelled. Some were reported to have vomited and passed out as temperatures hit 37°C.

One disgruntled fan claimed to have seen people passing out and vomiting from the heat as there was no water and little shade. Another claimed the concession stands at the venue overcharged for water.

Others defended the singer saying the problem was clearly out of his control. There were also those who made light of the situation with one writing, "Give Ed your patience and kindness. No man puts his heart on the stage more than this guy!!!!"

Sheeran initially apologised for the cancellation of his Vegas show in an Instagram post on Saturday. He owed it to "some challenges encountered during the load".