Shortly after Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour concert for his unapologetic support of Palestine, ticket prices for the singer’s upcoming Philadelphia show have dropped by at least 50 percent.
According to recent TickPick data, the get-in ticket price for Sheeran’s Saturday, September 19, show at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia has plummeted, going for as low as $42 at the time of publication. The tickets were listed at around $100 early Tuesday, September 15, signifying a significant decrease.
Simultaneously, more tickets to his Saturday show — his first since Macklemore, 43, was booted from the tour and the remaining opening acts stepped away in solidarity — are now available. Per the same TickPick repording, the show saw a 54 percent increase in the number of tickets made available from Tuesday morning to the morning of Friday, September 18.
The show’s start time was also changed in the midst of the controversy. Given that Sheeran’s show now has no openers, the concert will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m. ET, per Ticketmaster, three hours after it was initially scheduled to begin.
Macklemore was removed from Sheeran’s Loop Tour for comments he made during his opening act at Met Life Stadium, in which the Seattle rapper voiced his unapologetic support for the Palestinian people amid Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the deadly October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks. Israel and the United States’ military campaign has resulted in the estimated deaths of over 70,000 Palestinian civilians, including more than 20,000 children, per the Palestinian Health Ministry and the United Nations.
“After Macklemore’s performances at my New Jersey shows, venues on my upcoming tour dates communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting,” Sheeran, 35, claimed via Instagram on Tuesday, breaking his silence on the controversy. “I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said. I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.”
Sheeran continued, “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
In the wake of Macklemore’s unceremonious dismissal, the remaining opening acts for Sheeran’s tour dropped out in solidarity with the rapper and the Palestinian people.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Billie Eilish’s brother, Finneas, wrote on social media at the time, announcing his departure from the tour. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Aaron Rowe, an Irish singer who opened for Sheeran in Australia earlier this year and who was scheduled to perform for the final 10 North America Show, announced his own withdrawal from the tour shortly after.
“I don’t take the decision lightly,” he wrote on Instagram. “Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this. But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
