{"id":737664,"date":"2026-06-15T05:47:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T05:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737664\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T05:47:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T05:47:18","slug":"ed-sheeran-opens-loop-tour-hints-at-break-to-do-the-dad-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/737664\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Sheeran opens LOOP Tour, hints at break to do ‘the dad thing’"},"content":{"rendered":"

GLENDALE, Ariz. \u2013 On the opening night of the U.S. leg of Ed Sheeran\u2019s<\/a> LOOP Tour<\/a>, the singer already had a temporary goodbye in mind.<\/p>\n

Toward the end of the show, Sheeran casually mentioned <\/a>that fans might not see him for a while after this tour. \u201cI\u2019m going to take some time off and do the dad thing,\u201d Sheeran told the tens of thousands filling State Farm Arena outside of Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Take note, Sheeran enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

Sheeran\u2019s LOOP Tour, in support of his latest album,<\/a> “Play,” kicked off in January in New Zealand, Australia and South America. On Saturday, June 13, Sheeran returned to North America to commence a nearly five-month run<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is the second stadium outing for the genial ginger musician, and while a bit less grandiose than his three-year The Mathematics Tour,<\/a> the LOOP Tour still boasts an imposing production with a stately curved screen, multihued lasers, creative video imagery, pyro and an intermittently extended bridge.<\/p>\n

Also unlike The Mathematics Tour, Sheeran was mostly unaccompanied by other musicians, with the exception of Irish folk band Beoga<\/a> on a few tracks, including the eternally contagious \u201cGalway Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran kicked off the North American leg of his LOOP Tour at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, June 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran: All the songs on his LOOP Tour<\/a><\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran can make even a stadium feel intimate<\/p>\n

A stadium stage can be a lonely island for a solo star armed with only a guitar, keyboard and looping pedals, but Sheeran, 35, creates a tsunami of sound. He also excels at creating an intimate environment, even in a sprawling sports palace that often sounded like an echo chamber.<\/p>\n

Sheeran\u2019s opening \u201cYou Need Me, I Don\u2019t Need You<\/a>\u201d overflowed with chaotic energy and a hyperactive video of spinning Sheerans. But the messy sound rendered his singing\u00a0indecipherable, a problem that persisted throughout the 2-hour and 45-minute performance.<\/p>\n

At least the crowd could understand Sheeran\u2019s frequent chatting. It would have been a shame to have missed out on his amiable storytelling, whether paying tribute to his late friend<\/a> with the heart-rattling \u201cEyes Closed\u201d<\/a> or explaining why he doesn\u2019t love playing \u201cSupermarket Flowers\u201d<\/a> (though he did, to tender effect).<\/p>\n

Clad in his own tour T-shirt and baggy black pants, and sporting a light beard and close-cut hair now missing its mussed quality<\/a>, Sheeran bounced between the main stage and a circular B-stage where he looked most content, especially when brandishing his acoustic for those sentimental soulmates, \u201cThinking Out Loud\u201d and \u201cPerfect.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran donned an Arizona Cardinals jersey for his encore at opening night of the North American leg of his LOOP Tour, June 13, 2026 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran wants to engage with fans on the LOOP Tour<\/p>\n

Sheeran works hard to interact with the crowd: In a very Coldplay moment, he urged them to clap and jump during \u201cCelestial,\u201d and, for the sweet \u201cCamera,\u201d to snap a flash-enabled keepsake image of the stadium dotted with blinking lights.<\/p>\n

Even given the wonky sound, Sheeran\u2019s voice never wavered<\/a>. His textured tone dipped high and low on \u201cSupermarket Flowers;\u201d he layered his vocals for a symphony of harmony on \u201cTenerife Sea;\u201d and his sardonic delivery of \u201cI Don\u2019t Care\u201d locked into the swaying beat. (Songmate Justin Bieber floated around the video screen behind Sheeran in costumes of both animals and \u2026 corn.)<\/p>\n

Sheeran\u2019s trademark looping process<\/a> \u2013 for which this tour is named \u2013 was integrated into nearly every song. He banged the hollow body of his guitar to create the backbeat for \u201cI\u2019m a Mess,\u201d while his stacked chords sounded like a swarm of insects at the start of \u201cCastle on the Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran’s production for his LOOP Tour features a gorgeous curved screen as well as a B-stage where he performed most of the opening night show at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, June 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

Ed Sheeran’s secret Spotify show: The musician returns to ‘where it all began’ in Dublin<\/a><\/p>\n

This is one reason Ed Sheeran is so successful<\/p>\n

The video that opened Sheeran\u2019s show was in many ways a standard overview natural for an artist in the 15th year of his career. But Sheeran\u2019s voiceover noted how he started learning his craft playing in pubs for a handful of uninterested people and improving his musicianship along his way through clubs, theaters, arenas and stadiums.<\/p>\n

It was a reminder that not only has Sheeran long paid his dues,<\/a> he\u2019s also the increasingly rare musician who developed into a performer one step at a time, a process that keeps him humble and is reflected in the gratitude he oozes from the stage.<\/p>\n

Sheeran took every lesson to heart, and the results continue to pay dividends.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ed Sheeran\u2019s LOOP Tour begins as he hints at hiatus<\/a><\/p>\n