On Sunday night, I had the supreme privilege to watch Ed Sheeran live in concert. His Mathematics tour is currently making its way around Australia, and by all accounts, it is a sell-out success.
I attended the concert at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. My tickets were in the nosebleeds and cost me close to $250 a ticket. The stadium’s capacity is 60 000 people, which, if the cheapest ticket is $250, would see him bringing in well over $15 million a night. Ed Sheeran did the maths and realised that the numbers added up nicely. Especially as he played Suncorp Stadium three nights in a row.
I have a young family, so I don't go out all the time, which is why it was so unusual that I attended Dave Chappelle's show and Ed Sheeran's in the same week. Chappelle was at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondal, and I couldn't help but notice how tense the crowd seemed after battling traffic for an hour to make it in time for his show. The whole experience put me off attending shows at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, but by Sunday night, I felt that I had perhaps been a bit unfair, and had to check my privilege.
For me, an event at Suncorp Stadium is incredibly convenient. I took a bus to South Brisbane and walked across the Go Between Bridge, following the crowds for a few minutes until I got to the concert. From setting foot outside my front door to arriving at my seat, it took me less than 40 minutes. It was also a lovely evening to admire the river as I walked across the bridge. However, I had been sitting in my seat for no more than 10 minutes when the lady next to me asked if I had ever been to Suncorp Stadium before, clearly, her journey had been less straightforward. And as I saw her and her husband leave soon after the halfway mark, I realised once more how far and wide people were willing to travel to watch Ed Sheeran live in concert.
And why wouldn't they? He's such an overwhelmingly lovely guy; the whole evening was characterised by this energy of consideration and niceness towards his audience and fans.
The people around me seemed to mostly consist of parents and kids. As it happened, I was attending Ed Sheeran with my 11-year-old, so I immediately felt like I was in good company. Sheeran has the perfect blend of music that appeals to both the young and the older generations, and his back catalogue of music stretches back to my own younger years.
His warm-up act was a young female artist, Maisie Peters. Sheeran has recently signed her to his record label, and she sings a style of inoffensive mass-marketable pop that will appeal to a young female demographic. She was also an excellent live performer, bringing lots of energy, talking to the crowd and setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
One of the things I liked and appreciated about the evening was Sheeran's punctuality. Peters performed for approximately 45 minutes, and then there was a reorganisation of the stage, followed by a countdown clock before Sheeran himself came on stage. The whole show was executed under the guidance of good English manners. Sheeran let his audience know that they could leave their seats, buy something to eat or visit the bathroom, and they still had 6 minutes before he would appear on stage. At the beginning of his performance, he shared with the audience that his show ran for 2-hours. Considering the number of school-aged children at the show, I appreciated his communication. He also wore a shirt with the words Brisbane emblazoned on it and mentioned his enjoyment of visiting the City, shearing specific anecdotes from previous visits to Brisbane. Ed Sheeran is a great guest. He arrives on time, compliments the host, and doesn’t overstay his welcome. As much as Brisbane is grateful to receive him, it was equally nice to feel a mutual appreciation from him.
He started his performances with a few of his less familiar songs but worked his way through all his hits. He delighted the crowd when he told us that we were so energetic he was changing his set list to meet our energy. Everyone likes to feel seen. The show was a visual spectacle; fireworks and psychedelic images were projected on screens throughout the stadium. Early on the audience responded by illuminating the arena with their cellphone lights. He encouraged audience participation, at times it felt like the world's biggest choir as 60 000 people harmonised together. He performed a song he had written for Pokémon and told this brilliant story about it. The kids in the audience went wild, clapping their hands and singing along. The whole show was optimistic and friendly and exactly what I wanted it to be. He’s a great musician and well worth watching live in concert.
At the end of the 2-hours, he came out for an encore and politely informed his audience that he would sing precisely three songs. At this point, various groups around me were making their way out of the stadium. People clearly needed to catch trains and buses or walk to where cars were parked. Many parents used the opportunity to make an early exit with their younger children. The last song of his performance seemed designed to allow people to start making their way out of the stadium, I had never heard it before, and whilst it had tonnes of energy, it’s not one of his big hits. It’s hard not to attribute this choice to a consideration on his part of his audience’s needs. After he finished, he wished us all well.
Good manners don’t seem to be valued as much as they once were, but they certainly do remove a lot of uncertainty and stress from an experience. He may be the most considerate performer out there, and for that, I’ll buy tickets to his next performance in Brisbane. He seems to be an all-around top bloke who sings excellent music.