Ed Sheeran’s recent performance at Accor Stadium, Sydney, was like a pub gig blown up to 70,000 people. It included raw charm and a giant screen fighting for attention.
Image: [edhq] via InstagramIf anyone ever wondered what happened to all the buskers who once lined the pavement at Sydney’s Circular Quay in the late ’90s, there is a strong case that one of them evolved into Ed Sheeran. Watching him command Accor Stadium on 13 February felt like witnessing that exact glow up in real time. One man, one guitar, and seventy thousand people. On paper, it still sounds unlikely!
The night began with noticeable gaps in the crowd as Vance Joy stepped out, suggesting most fans were in no rush to catch the early acts. Undeterred, he opened with Missing Piece before sliding into ‘Mess Is Mine’, instantly warming up the half-full stadium. Dressed in a simple black button-up and jeans, he gave off strong Melbourne uni bar energy, like someone about to quote David Foster Wallace before picking up a guitar. Instead, he delivered a polished and heartfelt set backed by a tight seven-piece band complete with trumpet and saxophone. ‘Fire And The Flood’ soared, easily the standout of his performance and arguably one of the best moments of the entire evening. A lively cover of Kiss classic ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ added extra spark, complete with a wheelchair bound fan joyfully tearing it up near the front. Closing with ‘Riptide’, the 2013 triple j Hottest 100 winner, Vance Joy proved to be the perfect support act. Then came the main event.
Ed Sheeran is not the typical stadium superstar archetype. A short redheaded English bloke with no rockstar swagger and zero interest in flashy costumes, he somehow sells out arenas across the globe. The stage design leaned heavily into spectacle, with a modest half-moon platform dwarfed by a colossal HD screen and a smaller round stage in the center. A pre-show video showed a teenage Ed in his bedroom with a looper. It reinforced the promise that every sound heard tonight would be built live on stage. Then he emerged on the central platform with ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’, layering beats and riffs in real time. Seeing Sheeran rapping atop a glowing bridge in the center of a stadium was not on anyone’s bingo card, yet here it was.
From there, the formula settled in. Stories from his early pub days blended into hits like ‘Castle On The Hill’, ‘The A Team’, ‘Shivers’, ‘Give Me Love’, and ‘Shape Of You’. A medley featuring ‘Love Yourself’ and ‘Little Things’ reminded the crowd of his behind-the-scenes songwriting reach. There was a dip in energy during a stretch of fan-voted deep cuts, where casual listeners grew restless, and chatter echoed around the stands, giving the place an odd London pub feel. And then the realisation hit. The magic of Ed Sheeran lies in the fact that he still feels like that pub kid with a guitar. The plain t-shirt, that awkward charm with the earnest grin. It created an intimacy that clashes with the towering LED visuals and, at times, overwhelming production. When the spectacle quieted down for ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and ‘Perfect’, the stadium finally felt small in the best way. These moments showcased his gift plainly and powerfully!
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