Protests planned outside Ed Sheeran’s concert as ticket prices drop

Pro-Palestine protests are planned outside the US stadium where Ed Sheeran is due to play on Saturday, as tickets for the shows are made available for as low as 76 US dollars (£56.95).This week all of the support acts for the singer’s current The Loop tour announced they were dropping out of the remaining dates after Macklemore, real name Benjamin Haggerty, was removed from the line-up over comments he made about Gaza.Sheeran’s own backing band Beoga also announced they were stepping down, writing in a statement on Instagram that they “fully supported” Macklemore’s message.The 35-year-old English singer began his tour in Auckland, New Zealand in January.Tickets for Ed Sheeran’s US tour are selling for as little as 76 US dollars (Jeff Moore/PA)PA ArchiveIt is set to wrap up in Mexico City in December, with a total of 18 shows still scheduled across North and South America.He is next due to play in Philadelphia on Saturday night, however tickets are now being sold for as low as 76 US dollars (£56.95).Ahead of that show, local pro-Palestinian groups have also said they will be protesting outside the venue, Lincoln Financial Field.In a post shared on Instagram, The Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D& shared plans to “take to the streets to return the conversation to Palestine, and return Philadelphia to action”.The minimum price for tickets to his next show rise to $112 (£83.83) for his concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts on September 25.Although Sheeran’s two shows in Hollywood, Florida, on October 29 and 30, have the minimum ticket prices currently advertising for 339 US dollars (£254), the price drops again for his final show, in Tampa on November 7.Tickets for that show are selling for a minimum of 87 US dollars (£65).Macklemore was dropped as a support act following comments he made about Gaza (Lewis Stickley/PA)PA ArchiveFor his final show of the tour, in Mexico City, the current prices sit at a minimum of 3,550 pesos, or £154.Read MoreSome of the acts who have dropped out of Sheeran’s tour include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham.On Monday, Macklemore posted on Instagram claiming Sheeran and his team had “made the decision to remove” him from the Loop Tour.In a response on the social media platform on Tuesday, Sheeran said his departure from the tour was the promoter’s decision and not his.He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added Robert Kraft, owner of the Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.Sheeran added: “I am not complicit.“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.“Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.“Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own personal way.”The Shape Of You singer said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.The Press Association has contacted representatives for Ed Sheeran for comment.