Ed Sheeran celebrates 32nd birthday with first Brisbane show

Thirty-two years old, 60,000 fans – Ed Sheeran had a beautiful set of numbers as his Mathematics tour kicked off in Brisbane.

Debra Bela

less than 2 min read

February 18, 2023 - 1:00AM

Ed Sheeran in action at the first of his three Brisbane concerts. Picture: Josh Woning

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It was a birthday to remember for superstar singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran who played in front of a packed-out Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday night.

The English pop star opened the Australian leg of his Mathematics world tour to a crowd of close to 60,000 adoring fans.

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“Tonight is my 32nd birthday and I am so happy to be spending it with you,” Sheeran told the crowd after opening with fireworks, flames and two songs from his most recent album that took fans from whisper-quiet moments in Tides to 106 decibels of power in Blow.

Mega gallery: Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Australian tour

NSW NETWORK FEBRUARY 24, 2023. Ed Sheeran throws his pick into the crowd during his first Sydney concert at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

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Sheeran’s stacked set of 23 songs did not disappoint, with fans singing along to Castle on the Hill, Galway Girl, Bad Habits and Shivers, lyrics almost as familiar as those of Happy Birthday itself.

Australia’s God of Thunder Chris Hemsworth was spotted in the crowd as UK singer-songwriter Maisie Peters joined Budjerah as support acts, before Sheeran took to the stage with a guitar and a loop station.

Chris Hemsworth spotted at Ed Sheeran’s Brisbane concert on Friday night. Picture: Josh Woning

“I’ve never, ever done anything like this, this is crazy,” two-time ARIA award winner Budjerah said as he warmed up the crowd.

Sheeran already holds the title of drawing more crowds to an Australian concert tour than any other performer, with more than one million tickets sold during the massive Divide tour in 2018.

Sheeran performs at Suncorp Stadium again on Saturday and Sunday nights before moving on to Sydney.