Ed Sheeran Philadelphia Ticket Prices Drop Nearly 50%

Ed Sheeran’s Saturday concert in Philadelphia has seen a sharp decline in secondary-market ticket prices following controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore’s removal as a supporting act after he made pro-Palestinian remarks during Sheeran’s tour. According to TickPick data cited Friday, the cheapest available ticket fell to $51 from $100 earlier in the week.

The Sept. 19 concert at Lincoln Financial Field will be Sheeran’s first performance since Macklemore said “free Palestine” during an opening performance earlier this month. Sheeran’s other supporting acts and backing band have also withdrawn from the tour.

TickPick recorded a 54% increase in available tickets between Tuesday and Friday morning. Prices had reached as high as $120 in the days following Macklemore’s comments, with the biggest declines coming after venues barred Macklemore from performing and Sheeran addressed the controversy on social media.

On Friday afternoon, the lowest listed ticket on StubHub was $42. Current TickPick listings also show Philadelphia tickets starting around $50, although resale prices can change rapidly.

Event Tickets Center reported that the number of resale tickets sold for the Philadelphia concert has increased 2.5 times.

Macklemore sparked the controversy during a performance at MetLife Stadium earlier this month when he said he had joined Sheeran’s tour so he could say “free Palestine.” During another MetLife performance, he said criticism of Israel, apartheid and genocide was not criticism of Jewish people.

Macklemore later said billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had prevented him from performing at Gillette Stadium and influenced other venue owners to do the same. Kraft confirmed that he had barred Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium but did not confirm that he had influenced other venues.

Macklemore said Sheeran had been placed in a difficult position because of his longstanding public stance that he does not take sides. Sheeran said on Instagram that he had spent the week speaking with venues in an effort to “build a bridge” and said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.”

Sheeran’s supporting acts Aaron Rowe, Finneas and Danish group Lukas Graham subsequently withdrew from the tour after the singer defended himself. Rowe said he could not stand by while billionaires used their influence to silence voices speaking against what he described as Israeli genocide and highlighting the deaths of children.