Macklemore ticket prices have risen sharply for an upcoming concert in Colorado after he was removed from the remainder of Ed Sheeran’s tour over pro-Palestinian comments made on stage.
Resale prices for Macklemore’s October performance at Red Rocks have increased despite the concert having been announced in March. The cheapest available ticket has risen by 45% in three days, from 108 dollars to 157 dollars, TicketData founder Keith Pagello said.
“That’s a surge we can say with confidence would not have happened absent this week’s events,” Mr Pagello said.
Macklemore said on social media on Monday that he had been removed from the Loop tour after stadium owners threatened to cancel shows following remarks he made during a performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 September.
He said on Thursday that he would donate his 1 million dollars in tour earnings to Palestinian aid organisations.
Ed Sheeran resale prices fall at most venues
Secondary-market prices for Sheeran’s remaining concerts have moved in the opposite direction. TicketData found that prices had fallen at nine of the ten venues still scheduled to host the tour.
Mr Pagello said the declines appeared to be within the normal pattern for concert tickets, rather than necessarily being linked to the controversy.
“Across the whole universe of concerts, more shows decline in price as the date approaches than rise,” he said.
Tickets for Sheeran’s North American concerts this summer fell by an average of 22% during the final two weeks before each show, Mr Pagello said.
However, he said there had been a noticeable increase in the number of tickets being resold for the forthcoming performances. “Since Monday, tickets have been selling at a slight to moderately increased pace compared to earlier tour stops at the same distance out, even with prices trending down,” he said.
It remains unclear whether the rise in resale activity reflects opposition to Sheeran, support for the singer or other factors.
All of Sheeran’s other supporting acts – Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham – said they would leave the tour after Macklemore’s removal. It is not clear who will replace them.
Sheeran said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that removing Macklemore had been the promoter’s decision, not his own. He also defended his decision not to speak publicly about his personal political beliefs.
“I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won’t ever change,” he wrote. “There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.”
The tour supporting Sheeran’s eighth album, Play, began in New Zealand late last year. Its Australian leg generated 70.8 million dollars in February, making it the highest-grossing tour in the world that month, while Sheeran’s previous tour grossed 875.7 million dollars and sold 8.8 million tickets.
