BOSTON, Massachusetts (WBZ) -- Some fans with Ed Sheeran tickets to his concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, are struggling to resell them amid controversy. “I’m not interested in ever going back to Gillette,” said Michelle Smith of New Hampshire, who purchased tickets with her girlfriends specifically to see Macklemore open for Ed Sheeran. Macklemore was canceled from the tour by the promoter, according to a statement from Sheeran, following a speech Macklemore gave on the tour in which he preached “Free Palestine” among other political opinions. “Art has always been political and some of our most memorable artists have stood up for what they believed in, so I think it’s really important in America that people have the freedom to stand up for what they believe in,” Smith said. She is trying to resell her tickets, abandoning her own attendance in support of Macklemore and the Palestinian people. “Macklemore has, for as long as I’ve been listening to him, has been standing up for different groups of marginalized people,” she said. John Higgins, the owner of Higs Tickets, says his company sold all its tickets to the show early on and won’t be investing in more. “We had them in advance, we were anticipating the show to be very good,” Higgins said. “Luckily we sold them in advance because right now ticket sales have fallen way off.” He said ticket sales have come down to a point where they aren’t touching it anymore. “I don’t have any faith in the show,” he explained. “I hope it does happen, but I’m not jumping into it now.” Sheeran’s opening acts all backed out of the tour once Macklemore was let go. Macklemore claimed in a statement that Patriots owner Robert Kraft pressured other stadium owners to put pressure on the tour to cancel Macklemore’s participation, calling his remarks and history “antisemitic.” On Wednesday, Macklemore announced he would donate his $1 million in profits from the tour to charities that help Palestinian people, and he challenged Kraft to match his donation. In a statement, Kraft said: “I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges. In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.” Sheeran is set to play Gillette Stadium on Sept. 25 and 26. Tickets are still widely available and became even more available once the supporting acts backed out. Some tickets in the front section of the stadium were listed as low as $190 on Wednesday.
