Australian genius behind Ed Sheeran’s epic world tour ‘risk’ revealed in new documentary

Superstar Ed Sheeran needed convincing to radically change things up on his world tour. He’s now very glad he took the right advice. See the photos, video.

When Ed Sheeran looks to the heavens during every gig on his awe-inspiring Mathematics concert stage, he feels the spirit of his mentor and mate Michael Gudinski brandishing his signature No. 1 finger in salute.

The gargantuan stadium production, which dwarfs the world’s biggest pop star, is the realisation of a vision hatched by the pair during late-night brainstorms four years ago as they travelled Australia on the Divide tour.

Sheeran has opened up about how Gudinski planted the seed for his mammoth Mathematics stage, a logistical and technical feat never attempted before in the pop world, in a new documentary helmed by his Australian “brother”, Michael’s son Matt Gudinski.

Sheeran and Gudinski celebrating his record-breaking tour of Australia in 2018. Picture: Matt Jelonek/WireImage.

In 2018, Sheeran was playing his outdoor Divide concerts to a record-breaking one million Australians; the epic concert expedition became the highest grossing and best attended world tour of all time.

But Gudinski and the driven British superstar were already plotting how his next world concert extravaganza could be bigger and better than anything any other pop artist had ever attempted.

“Michael said ‘We’ll do the MCG next time and it has to be in-the-round and you have to have a band. And I remember being like ‘Oh, I’ve never really played in the round and I don’t really wanna take a risk,’” Sheeran says in the Full Circle doco.

The film focuses on the gargantuan task of building and staging the innovative production, one which his team laboured over for two years to bring to life in 2022.

Ed Sheeran’s huge Mathematics concert production. Picture: Zakary Walters

Sheeran also shares a private look at his family’s compound backstage where wife Cherry and daughters Lyra and Jupiter hang out while dad is being a pop star.

“It’s kinda cool having the family out on the road,” Sheeran says.

Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics concert. Picture: Zakary Walters

“It puts everything into perspective because there’s such a massive hype around the gigs and everyone is so excited about it and your name’s up on this big thing and then you’re going out on stage and playing to 90,000 people, and then you walk backstage and you’re just dad.

Ed speaks about having his children on the tour with him, in his Full Circle documentary. Picture: Supplied

“My daughters don’t know what I do … I’m just someone who’s going to feed them pasta.”

Matt Gudinski and his Mushroom Creative House team filmed the doco during Sheeran’s run of five Wembley Stadium concerts in London in late June.

Sheeran and Matt Gudinski got new tattoos in memory of Michael. Picture: Instagram.

The documentary reveals how just four weeks out from its opening night in Dublin in April, the Sheeran team didn’t know if they could pull it off.

“Four weeks out from the first show in Dublin, they were worried if they were going to be able to pull it together,” Matt said.

“From a production point of view, the build for this show is so complex, and had so many intricacies to it.”

Sheeran is dwarfed by the massive Mathematics production. Picture: Zakary Walters

Matt’s film crew were given full access, including underneath the innovative stage which features an occasionally misbehaving revolving floor.

“I only saw it happen once and poor Ed was moving around the stage around ten times quicker,” Matt said.

He said seeing the ideas hatched during long on-the-road brainstorms between his father, Sheeran and his manager Stuart Camp brought to life by the tour team had been “amazing”.

Sheeran racing around the stage on a revolving floor. Picture: Zakary Walters / Supplied

“It’s sad to think we’re going to have these shows coming up next year and Dad’s not here to see them,” he said.

“Obviously the Melbourne show by chance is on the second anniversary of his passing, so I’m sure that’s going to be a very emotional and special night not only for myself but for Ed and many people involved.

“But I think it all shows the creative vision and artist connection that Dad had.

“Ed backed himself in and took a massive risk to build and deliver this tour and it’s the biggest production ever for any show in-the-round.”

Full Circle will air on Nine on November 24 from 9.15pm (after the 2022 ARIA Awards).

For all Ed Sheeran Australian tour tickets, visit Frontier Touring.