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Ed Sheeran – Marvel Stadium
Night one of three at Marvel Stadium saw Ed Sheeran return to Melbourne with the kind of comfort and familiarity that only comes from a 15 year relationship with a city. ‘Hello again. My name’s Ed Sheeran,’ he said as he started the set on the B-stage in the middle of the stadium, immediately building layers for You Need Me, I Don’t Need You. It was a fitting way to open a tour built entirely around live looping, something he later explained in detail. Everything is completely live, no backing track. It’s looped, layered and at the end of the night it’s all deleted and he can do it all again the next night. Watching him construct a song from scratch in real time for each and every song remains one of the most compelling parts of his live shows.
Before launching into his second song Sapphire, he reflected on the venue. ‘I remember playing this venue on the Divide tour and it was by far my favourite venue of the tour.’ He continued reminiscing during Castle on the Hill, speaking about first playing Melbourne to around 60 people 15 years ago. One of those early supporters went on to become his promoter, Michael Gudinski, speaking about how his son Matt now runs the show. He also referenced playing the MCG, calling it an amazing experience, reinforcing just how deep his ties to the city now run. ‘Melbourne has a really special place in my heart,’ he said before launching into The A Team, the song that shifted his career from pubs where no one was listening to stadiums where every word is sung back.
Before Shivers, he acknowledged the changing crowd. He spoke about the next generation now coming to his shows, parents bringing their kids to their first concerts, and how much he loves seeing that evolution in the audience. He used the song to showcase what can be done with a loop before closing out the opening part of the set with Don’t, making his way back to the B-stage.
This next part of the set changes every night of the tour and is the ultimate fan service as Ed performs songs requested by the audience via QR code based on fan votes. Opening with Eyes Closed, he spoke to loss and the disbelief that follows when someone is taken suddenly. The first fan-voted song of the night was Little Bird, which came with a story about his first girlfriend wanting to save an injured chicken, as well as a surprise tour debut of Happier. He also reflected on a phase in his career spent touring basketball arenas, writing songs in the big shower rooms while on tour before performing I’m a Mess. This part of the show closed with Give Me Love, one of the biggest singalongs of the night.
Back on the main stage, Beoga joined him for Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan, two songs written the very first day they met. ‘I have so much fun playing with these guys,’ he said, clearly enjoying the shift in dynamic. I Don’t Care followed with visuals of Justin Bieber and Ed dressed up in funny costumes, while Ed told the audience about how much fun they had filming.
One of the most personal moments came before Old Phone, as Sheeran revisited the lengthy copyright lawsuit (which he won) that forced him to hand over years of private messages and voice notes. He described discovering an old unused phone during the process, calling it like stepping into a time machine. The last message on it was from a friend who had passed away the year before. Described as a moment stuck in time, the song was one of the most emotional moments of the night and had a Marvel Stadium worth of people hanging onto every word.
‘The coolest thing about a stadium show is 60,000 people doing the same thing at once,’ he said ahead of Camera, asking the crowd to lift their phones and take photos using the flash. Photograph was up next and brought the stadium together singing again before he spoke about how each audience around the world responds differently to the same songs, hoping that everyone would go wild for Celestial – which they did.
The songwriting medley that followed highlighted the breadth of his catalogue beyond his own albums, weaving together Eastside, 2002, Cold Water, Little Things and Love Yourself – all songs he has written for other artists. He spoke about moving to London at 17, the uncertainty about whether he would make it in the industry, and always wanting to be recognised as a songwriter first. Talking about songs that will never leave the setlist, because of how much the songs mean to his fans and how much they mean to him, he performed two examples with Thinking Out Loud and Perfect.
The final stretch of the main set ran through Symmetry and Bloodstream before Afterglow gave him a moment to thank Melbourne (and Australia) for embracing his music early in his career. He acknowledged the effort it takes for fans to attend a stadium show, from purchasing tickets, organising babysitters, getting PT to and from the venue, and all the things people do to come and see his show. After briefly leaving the stage, he returned for the encore. Shape of You immediately lifted the energy, followed by Azizam, before closing night one with Bad Habits.
The evening was stacked with incredible Aussie and International talent, from Aaron Rowe, Mia Wray and Vance Joy rounding out the perfect evening.
Night one felt less like a visiting international act and more like an artist returning to a city that has grown alongside him. Three nights in Melbourne are underway, and if this opening show is anything to go by, the relationship remains as strong as ever.