{"id":336924,"date":"2026-02-14T10:51:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T10:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/336924\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T10:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T10:51:20","slug":"ed-sheeran-sends-the-sydney-crowd-loopy-with-three-hours-of-hits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/336924\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Sheeran sends the Sydney crowd Loopy with three hours of hits"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On an overcast night in Sydney, the red headed wonder Ed Sheeran<\/strong> brought nothing but sunny times, party tracks and love songs to the Accor Stadium<\/strong> crowd as part of his Loop world tour. Support for the night came in the form of Aaron Rowe<\/strong>, Mia Wray and Vance Joy. While admittedly only catching the literal last notes of Rowe, there was enough in those 20 seconds that makes me think you should definitely get down early to see him open up each show.<\/p>\n

Next up was Queensland legend Mia Wray<\/strong> performing a selection of tracks from her 2025 album hi, it\u2019s nice to meet me, as well as her current single, the euphoric \u201cWhen We Were Young\u201d. The absolute set stand out was her magic and incredibly sad \u201cMonster Brain\u201d. Every time I see it performed, it gets better. With a sneaky throwback to \u201cStay Awake\u201d thrown in for good measure, 2026 looks to be an even bigger year for Wray than last year.<\/p>\n

Main support came in the form of everyone\u2019s favourite ukulele toting, former VFL player, Vance Joy<\/strong>. With a tidy 45 minute set that spanned his entire back catalogue, Vance Joy threw in a bit of everything from \u201cMess Is Mine\u201d, \u201cSaturday Sun\u201d, \u201cLay It On Me\u201d, \u201cRiptide\u201d and a surprise cover of the KISS classic \u201cI Was Made For Loving You\u201d. Noting consistently how grateful and momentous it was to be opening for Ed Sheeran, you got the sense that Vance Joy truly lives for these stadium sized shows.<\/p>\n

Playing everything live and on loop, Sheeran made it known throughout his near three-hour set that everything you heard while he was on stage was recorded that night, would be deleted after the show and never heard again. In an era of AI slop entering all facets of life including the arts, it was refreshing to see an artist of this scale not rely on any type of artificial support; especially considering for the most part he played solo.<\/p>\n

With a set that spanned all six of his studio albums, the show had just about everything for all fans, from those seeing him for the first time, to those who\u2019ve been on the Sheeran train since 2011\u2019s + release. Opening up with \u201cYou Need Me, I Don\u2019t Need You\u201d on the smaller B-stage located in the crowd, the set had a steady flow throughout its run, bouncing between stages, eras, collabs and fan requests. Challenging the Friday night Sydney crowd to be better and louder than the Perth crowd last weekend, the 70,000 fans in attendance did their best to break sound records and deliver a perfect backing track to the magic Sheeran was delivering on stage.<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/p>\n

Early highlights came in the form of \u201cCastle on the Hill\u201d, \u201cThe A Team\u201d and the fan requested \u201cTenerife Sea\u201d, before Sheeran welcomed frequent collaborators Beoga<\/strong> on stage for a string of tracks including \u201cGalway Girl\u201d and \u201cOld Phone\u201d, with Sheeran taking a moment to touch on the history of \u201cOld Phone\u201d and his ability to live life without a mobile phone (must be nice). Ending this section of the show with the sentimental \u201cPhotograph\u201d was a nice touch.<\/p>\n

Throwing in a melody of songs he wrote for others including Halsey\u2019s \u201cEastside\u201d and Justin Bieber\u2019s \u201cLove Yourself\u201d, Sheeran moved into \u201cThinking Out Loud\u201d and \u201cPerfect\u201d as he noted how special it was to know songs he wrote now soundtracked so many people\u2019s lives, especially their engagements and weddings. Despite his long career, record sales and the scale of his shows, Sheeran honestly comes across as a normal guy who still can\u2019t believe this is his life. And to be frank, it\u2019s blood lovely to see.<\/p>\n

With an encore of \u201cShape of You\u201d, \u201cAzizam\u201d and \u201cBad Habits\u201d, Sheeran ended the show wearing his Loop sponsored Ipswich Town FC jersey, his local club he now partly owns. This reinforced the feeling that despite now having more than enough zeroes in his bank account, he\u2019s still just a guy in touch with his roots. With a light show and fire works aplenty throughout the entirety of the show, Ed Sheeran delivered everything he possibly could for those in attendance. With two more Sydney shows to go and the remainder of the country to follow, if he delivers even half the show he did here, everyone will go home more than happy.<\/p>\n

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\nFOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran continues his Australian tour over the coming weeks. For more information, head here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reviewer attended Accor Stadium on 13.02.26<\/p>\n

Photos by Bruce Baker. You can see more photos from the night HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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