More about: U2Ed Sheeran

U2 and Ed Sheeran were forced to cancel their respective shows in St Louis, Missouri, over the weekend following the protests that occurred after a white former police officer was acquitted of murdering a black man. U2 had been schedule to play The Dome at America’s Centre on Saturday (September 16) while Sheeran should have been playing the Scottrade Center last night (September 17).

Police said they couldn’t guarantee their usual level of security as protests tiuend to riots. The St Louis Post-Dispatch reports that police made more than 80 arrests downtown Sunday night after violence erupted following hours of peaceful protesting.

A statement from U2 and their promoters Live Nation reads: "We have been informed by the St. Louis Police Department that they are not in a position to provide the standard protection for our audience as would be expected for an event of this size.

“We have also been informed that local crowd security personnel would not be at full capacity.

“In light of this information, we cannot in good conscience risk our fans’ safety by proceeding with tonight’s concert. As much as we regret having to cancel, we feel it is the only acceptable course of action in the current environment."

Ed Sheeran’s promoters Messina Touring Group also voiced security concerns. They said in a statement: "With the safety of the fans being of upmost concern, and after consulting with local officials who could not fully commit to providing a sufficient amount of police and other city services support, we felt it was in everyone's best interest to cancel Sunday night's show.

"While we regret to have had to come to this decision, we do look forward to returning to St Louis as soon as Ed's schedule will allow in 2018."

More about: U2Ed Sheeran