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Ed Sheeran ticket prices plummet after Macklemore is dropped over 'Free Palestine' remarks

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Cite

Pearson, J. (2026, September 18). Ed Sheeran ticket prices plummet after Macklemore is dropped over 'Free Palestine' remarks. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-16139867/Ed-Sheeran-ticket-prices-Macklemore-Palestine.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-18 · by Jennifer Pearson

Quick Summary

Ed Sheeran’s LOOP Tour ticket prices are dropping significantly after Macklemore was removed from the tour due to a controversial "Free Palestine" speech. According to TicketData, resale prices for Sheeran's Philadelphia concert have fallen by 25%, while overall resale prices dropped 11% since Monday. The trend started before Macklemore’s exit but has accelerated recently, with some attributing it to upcoming pro-Palestine protests at the venue.
Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments at concerts. The rapper was removed following his chants of “Free Palestine” and criticism of Israel's actions as apartheid and genocide during performances in New Jersey. Promoters for the tour, Messina Touring Group, confirmed they received notifications from American venues that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform, potentially resulting in tour cancellation. Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where Sheeran was scheduled to play, reportedly pressured Sheeran over Macklemore’s involvement. In response, Charlotte Church criticized Ed Sheeran during a concert for prioritizing profits over addressing the Gaza conflict.

Written for “Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 120 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour
Entertainment · 121 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans right and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 39 claims Outlet record 66/100
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 34 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A describes Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour after making pro-Palestinian comments, while Article B discusses the resultant effect on ticket prices following this decision.”
Washington Examiner
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 70/100
“While both articles discuss Macklemore being removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour due to comments about Palestine, Article A focuses on AOC's reaction and criticism of the censorship, while Article B reports on the impact of the removal on ticket prices for Sheeran's tour.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
CBC News
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 74/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the same situation but describe separate events: one about a donation and the other about ticket price changes after Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour.”
CBS News
⚖️ Centre further left than this Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 3 of 30 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Ed Sheeran's tour security and ticket prices following Macklemore's controversy, but do not describe the same specific incident occurring at the same time.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 4 of 51 claims Outlet record 66/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 29 claims Outlet record 64/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 64/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
41
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
3 of 41 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
121
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 8837 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jennifer Pearson
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 'Today I write the words that no child would want to have to write,' Morales began.
🔮 Above, at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City 'I think it's safe to say that any further decline today would be a strong sign that demand, and ticket prices, are falling by a newsworthy amount, at least for that show,' the representative added.
Also by Jennifer Pearson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

New York City Philadelphia Sheeran Spotlight US TicketData

Subjects

Macklemore PERSON · 12× Sheeran PERSON · 9× Philadelphia GPE · 4× TicketData ORG · 4× Gaza GPE · 3× Ed Sheeran PERSON · 2× New York City GPE · 2× West Bank GPE · 2× Spotlight US ORG · 1× Tom Cruise PERSON · 1×

Narrative

- Get exclusive reporting, celebrity gossip, sensational photos and more every Tuesday morning in our new Spotlight US newsletter HERE - READ MORE: Secret Tom Cruise phone call that made 'overwhelmed' Taylor Swift 'roll out the red carpet' - Have YOU got a story?
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18
🔮 Above, at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City 'I think it's safe to say that any further decline today would be a strong sign that demand, and ticket prices, are falling by a newsworthy amount, at least for that show,' the representative added.

Claims (41 extracted, 3 hedged)

- Get exclusive reporting, celebrity gossip, sensational photos and more every Tuesday morning in our new Spotlight US newsletter HERE - READ MORE: Secret Tom Cruise phone call that made 'overwhelmed' Taylor Swift 'roll out the red carpet' - Have YOU got a story? asserted
YOU → get → story
Ed Sheeran ticket prices have fallen consistently after Macklemore was dropped from the tour over his 'Free Palestine' speech. asserted
Macklemore → fall → speech
TicketData reported an 11 percent dip in resale prices since Monday, per TMZ. asserted
TicketData → report → TMZ
Sheeran's LOOP Tour had already been experiencing a steady decline in ticket prices even before Macklemore's highly publicized exit. asserted
Tour → experience → exit
'Some softening in the run-up to the show is not atypical for this tour,' a TicketData representative told the outlet, which reported that ticket prices dropped 22 percent for the previous 17 shows during the two weeks before the calamitous concert. asserted
prices → tell → concert
Resale ticket prices for Sheeran's upcoming concert in Philadelphia have dropped 25 percent on secondary resale platforms, according to TicketData. uncertain
prices → drop → TicketData
And that, the representative conceded, 'is clearly pushing the edge of what you'd normally expect. asserted
you → concede → what
Ed Sheeran ticket prices have fallen consistently after Macklemore was dropped from the tour over his 'Free Palestine ' speech earlier this month. asserted
Macklemore → fall → speech
Above, Sheeran in December 2025 performing at iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball in New York City The British singer-songwriter and the American rapper had been friends and collaborators for more than a decade. asserted
songwriter → perform → decade
Above, at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City 'I think it's safe to say that any further decline today would be a strong sign that demand, and ticket prices, are falling by a newsworthy amount, at least for that show,' the representative added. asserted
representative → think → show
Pro-Palestine protests planned at the Philadelphia show this weekend could also have an impact on resale ticket prices. uncertain
protests → plan → prices
Sheeran is set to perform at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday. asserted
Sheeran → set → Saturday
All of the replacement acts and openers who were scheduled have abruptly quit the tour including Billie Eilish's brother Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga. asserted
who → schedule → brother
Macklemore, 43, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, was dropped from the remainder of Sheeran's LOOP Tour after sparking backlash with his 'Free Palestine' speech earlier this month. asserted
name → drop → speech
Several major US venues notified tour promoters they would not allow the Thrift Shop hitmaker to perform on their stages, per Rolling Stone. asserted
hitmaker → notify → Stone
The drama started when Macklemore used his opening set to chant 'Free Palestine' and deliver a politically motivated speech. asserted
Macklemore → start → speech
TicketData reported an 11 percent dip in resale prices since Monday Resale ticket prices for Sheeran's upcoming concert in Philadelphia have dropped 25 percent on secondary resale platforms since Macklemore's ouster. asserted
prices → report → ouster
The drama started when Macklemore used his opening set to chant 'Free Palestine' and deliver a politically motivated speech. asserted
Macklemore → start → speech
Above, the rapper performing in Paris in May 2024 Macklemore stated that every human being deserves the same freedom, and told the crowd he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He then performed his protest song Hind's Hall while images of the devastation in Gaza were projected on the big screens at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. uncertain
images → perform → Jersey
Macklemore also faced a boycott petition calling for his removal from Sheeran's tour for the blunt and direct language he used onstage. asserted
he → face → language
Macklemore has also previously voiced support for Palestinians and called out Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and has continued doing so for years. asserted
Macklemore → voice → years
As seen in fan-taken footage, he wore a keffiyeh at one point during his set. asserted
he → see → set
During his performance, he said he had a message to share with the Palestinian people and wanted them to know 'they have not been forgotten.' asserted
they → say → people
He said: 'One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages in stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. asserted
that → say → heart
I said, Free Palestine! asserted
I → say → Palestine
Above, in August 2025 'I want those words to be loud and clear so that people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them.' asserted
we → want → them
Macklemore also added: 'I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom, to know safety and peace before knowing the sounds of violence.' asserted
being → add → violence
During his speech, he referred to ICE as a 'terrorist organization' before shouting: 'Free Palestine' and 'Free Cuba, Congo, Sudan and Iran.' asserted
he → refer → Palestine
The Israeli-American Council drew up a petition insisting he should be dropped from the remaining dates of Sheeran's tour. asserted
he → draw → tour
The Daily Mail has reached out to Macklemore's representatives for comment. asserted
Mail → reach → comment
It wasn't known how many signatures the petition collected. asserted
petition → know → signatures
The group's petition read: 'This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. asserted
This → read → ?
The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. asserted
Macklemore → have → views
The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.' asserted
act → draw → agenda
Pink also weighed in on Macklemore's recent controversy by reposting an Instagram Story from StopAntisemitism, which slammed Macklemore's performance. asserted
which → weigh → performance
Above, Pink in 2022 Fan reaction was split on social media after the two shows, with some defending his onstage war comments as others accused him of anti-Semitic rhetoric. asserted
others → split → rhetoric
The singer, 47, reposted an Instagram Story from StopAntisemitism, which slammed Macklemore's performance. asserted
which → reposte → performance
The caption on the post read: 'Awful - Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing last night in NJ, not to be ambushed by Macklemore's anti-Israel propaganda. asserted
Sheeran → read → propaganda
Instead, Macklemore walked onstage in a keffiyeh, shouted 'Free Palestine,' accused Israel of a false 'genocide,' and turned a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state. asserted
Macklemore → walk → state
Concert-goers are owed apologies and refunds.' asserted
goers → owe → apologies
…and 1 more, not listed.
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