Khalid, 25, was in a crash hours before he was due to go on stage at Maryland’s FedEx Field as Ed’s support act.
In a line-up shake-up, Ed, 32, gave fans an unexpected treat, albeit for unfortunate reasons, as he performed more of his own songs before his actual scheduled set.
He assured the thousands-strong crowd that Khalid – known for tunes such as Young Dumb & Broke and his collaboration with Ed, Beautiful People – is on the mend.
‘[Khalid] was in a car accident this week,’ Ed explained as he took to the mic much earlier than billied.
‘He’s recovering and we wish him the best.’
The Thinking Out Loud hitmaker then joked: ‘If people don’t know I was going to be the opening act today, people are going to walk up to me today like, “This show isn’t what I thought it was. I thought there’d be more fireworks”.’
Ed performed a 30-minute set that included songs from his latest album, Subrtact, which was released in May.
One of the tunes he treated the crowd to was Sycamore, which is not usually on his main set.
The track was inspired by his wife Cherry Seaborn’s cancer, which she was diagnosed with while pregnant with their second child.
Bringing the mood up, the Grammy winner joked that he was enjoying playing while the sun was still shining.
‘Usually when I start playing, it’s like pitch-black and now I get to see everyone,’ he said.
‘It’s awesome. This is pretty fun.’
He added: ‘I kind of feel like, when you’re the main act, there’s a bunch of pressure because people have paid to see you but I feel like when you’re the opening act you’re sort of like, “Let’s have fun. Let’s play songs”.’
At the end of his spontaneous set, Ed reiterated: ‘I just want to say, before I introduce this next song, that I really hope Khalid gets well soon and that he’ll be joining us in Boston.’
While Khalid is yet to issue an update on his condition or share any details of his car crash, fans flocked to social media to wish him well.
‘Khalid, so sorry to hear you were in an accident. You’re such a bright light and I hope you’re able to rest up, heal, and feel better soon! ❤️????’, one person commented on his Instagram.
‘Prayers for a quick and uncomplicated healing ????????????????’, another added.
‘I heard you were in a car accident. We are sending our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery your way. Thank you also for a great concert in Toronto ❤️’, another commented.
Ed is next due to perform at the Boch Center Wang Theatre on June 29, with Ben Kweller set to open.
Reps for Khalid have been contacted for comment.
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