Ed Sheeran visits St Kilda Football Club and Royal Children’s Hospital

Ed Sheeran has delivered a pep talk to the St Kilda Football Club after a pop-up show at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Move over McGuire, there’s a new Eddie Everywhere in town.

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran has made some magic moves across the city, from Parkville to East Melbourne, and Albert Park to Moorabbin, with the kind of omnipresence to rival man-about-town and media figure Eddie McGuire.

Sheeran played a pop-up show at the Royal Children’s Hospital amid an action-packed Tuesday where he also visited Andrew’s Hamburgers in Albert Park, and the St Kilda Football Club in Moorabbin.

A day earlier, he raised a toast at late music boss ­Michael Gudinski’s statue at Melbourne Park.

Gudinski’s son, Mushroom Group boss Matt Gudinski, accompanied Sheeran to the bronze memorial.

“Ed has always had a great affiliation with Melbourne, and he loves being here,” Gudinski said.

“He really loves to get out and connect with everybody. He’s a man of the people. He’s been eating at our finest restaurants, and I’m sure over the next few days people will see Ed out and about, around town, embracing what makes Melbourne such a great city.”

Ed Sheeran visits the StKilda football club. Picture: Stkilda FC

Sheeran was ‘down at the almighty Saints to surprise the boys’. Picture: Stkilda FC

Sheeran has been signed up as a member. Picture: Stkilda FC

Posing with the team. Picture: Stkilda FC

Sheeran returned to his busking roots, and set up in the hospital foyer with an amplifier and acoustic guitar, as hundreds of people watched the surprise performance on Tuesday afternoon.

Children, parents, doctors and nurses gathered from every vantage point as Sheeran sang his classic hits including Perfect, Lego House, Bad Habits, Shape of You and Shivers. .

“Look at this turnout though,” he told the crowd, “I didn’t know this many people would turn up.”

The hospital’s director of general medicine Sarah McNab tweeted: “Some days, working in a kids’ hospital is really difficult. Today is not one of those days.” It is ­believed Sheeran also visited children in various wards. Some had drawn pictures and posters of the singer.

Mia Percival, who works in the hospital’s research department, said: “He was so down to earth and a lovely person.”

Ed Sheeran wows the crowds at the RCH. Picture: RCH Melbourne/Alvin Aquino

Hundreds gather in the foyer to watch the superstar perform.

Sheeran swung past ­Andrew’s Hamburgers in Albert Park for a feed, then set course for the Saints.

Sheeran was introduced to St Kilda by two of his Saints-mad mates, Michael Gudinski and the late spin king Shane Warne.

Saints captain Jack Steele told Sheeran: “We’re big fans of you and your music, so it’s great to have you down today.

“It’s a massive year for our club. To have you here to make it official is pretty special. We’ve signed you up as a member for 2023.”

Steele gifted Sheeran a team jumper, adding: “Hopefully we can see you reppin’ the red, white and black on stage on tour.”

Sheeran brings smiles to faces at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Picture: RCH Melbourne/Alvin Aquino

Fans were delighted to see the star at the RCH. Picture: RCH Melbourne/Alvin Aquino

Nurses and patients were thrilled at the impromptu gig. Picture: RCH Melbourne/Alvin Aquino

Sheeran’s MCG will break the Australian record for the most tickets sold to a single concert.

More than 100,000 tickets have been sold for Thursday’s show, and 107,000 for Friday. Matt Gudinski said: “Ed loves to break a record and he’s smashed this one. It’s phenomenal that more than 200,000 people will see this amazing show at our iconic MCG.”

Sheeran’s first MCG concert also coincides with the second anniversary of ­Michael Gudinski’s passing.

Sheeran is expected to pay tribute to Michael Gudinski and Warne at the show.

Gudinski senior planted the seeds for an MCG show when he and Sheeran began discussing the next tour five years ago. Gudinski suggested Sheeran should play in the round, and vowed to stage him at the MCG.

“I remember being like, ‘Oh, I’ve never really played in the round and I don’t really wanna take a risk’,” Sheeran recalled.

Matt Gudinski said: “It will be very sad to do it, to achieve this (concert attendance) ­record without my dad here.

“There will be a tear, but also a smile and a memory of dad, and the fact he started the idea of Ed … playing in the round across the world.

“That only adds to the amazing legacy he built over his lifetime.”

Gudinski said Sheeran’s latest tour was “the biggest production to ever visit Australia..”

It needs 80 trucks to cart the stage, and associated bells and whistles, and four days to build.

“Ed’s show at the mighty MCG is going to be one of the best moments of my ­career, and one of the best shows we’ve ever seen on these shores,” he said.

Final tickets are on sale at Ticketek.