Ed Sheeran wows 85,000 fans at Sydney’s Accor Stadium
Pop superstar Ed Sheeran maintains his affable charm and infectious energy with an intimacy which united more than 85,000 fans.
National
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One man, a guitar, a turntable stage and some of the biggest pop songs of the millennium – superstar Ed Sheeran finally gave Sydney the Mathematics masterclass at the enormous Accor Stadium on Friday.
“The first time I played here was in Sydney in a living room in 2011,” he said before introducing the song that started it all, The A Team.
Wearing a black T-shirt with Sydney stitched in rainbow colours, the pop superstar more Australians have had a beer with than possibly any other, maintains his affable charm and infectious energy with an intimacy which united more than 85,000 fans.
“How can you not love the guy?” one beaming dad said as he sang and air drummed to Castle On The Hill with his teen daughter.
This is a something for everyone concert; the setlist generously constructed from across his prolific album and singles output.
And he doesn’t skimp on the extras; pyros and fireworks erupt in the second song Blow while the giant wraparound screen broadcast stunning bursts of colour and action and graphics to every corner of the stadium.
But it’s the satellite of screens shaped like guitar picks which are perfectly designed and positioned to give even those in the top tiers a very decent view of the artist dwarfed by this mammoth production, one of the biggest technical efforts staged in Australia.
His enduring love affair with Australia hit an emotional note with the inclusion of Visiting Hours in the first Sydney setlist.
While the song was written for his late mentor and mate Michael Gudinski, who helped plot the epic Mathematics production during the Divide tour five years ago, Sheeran shared it was a request from a young fan he met backstage who was at their first ever concert.
The Mathematics show underscores how the pop concert has become an athlete’s game.
Sheeran is clearly matchfit as he dashes around the revolving stage yet maintaining his vocals and vigorous guitar playing.
He has changed things up from his early tours of Australia when he was entirely solo, armed only with his loop pedals. Now a band joins him for sections of the show filling out big hits including Overpass Graffiti.
But there is nothing quite like those moments when it’s just Ed, his acoustic guitar and the fans singing at the top of their lungs.
From Don’t to Sing, Perfect to Bad Habits, Sheeran engineered a magical musical experience which thrilled the senses, the cheers as uproarious when the screens burst into a kaleidoscope of colour as they were as they reacted to the opening notes of their favourite song.
He delighted the tweens, teens and twenty somethings when he covered Justin Bieber’ shot Love Yourself which Sheeran helped co-write.
But it was the duality of his big balladry and big bangers which brought show to its zenith.
Perfect remains one of the finest love songs ever written while you won’t be able to stop bouncing to that ear worm Bad Habits for a week.
Sheeran performs again in Sydney on Saturday before heading to the MCG for his box office breaking concerts next weekend.
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