{"id":241380,"date":"2026-01-19T20:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/241380\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T20:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:53:07","slug":"ed-sheeran-is-asking-fans-to-text-in-song-recommendations-for-2026-loop-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/241380\/","title":{"rendered":"Ed Sheeran is asking fans to “text in song recommendations” for 2026 ‘Loop Tour’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ed Sheeran<\/a> has been asking fans to \u201ctext in song recommendations\u201d for him to play on his 2026 \u2018Loop Tour\u2019.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:\u00a0Ed Sheeran \u2013 \u2018Play\u2019 review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old<\/a><\/p>\n

The singer-songwriter is currently out on a run of huge stadium shows in New Zealand and Australia, in support of his latest album \u2018Play\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He kicked off the tour with two concerts at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland last Friday and Saturday (January 16, 17).<\/p>\n

Ahead of the first gig, Sheeran took to Instagram to explain a portion of the show in which he would be performing various fan requests.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo tomorrow, if you are at the gig, there will be a big thing on the screen before it begins where it will say, \u2018Text in song recommendations\u2019,\u201d Sheeran said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s five slots in the gig, where I\u2019ll play any song that you guys decide. So whatever song you wanna hear at the gig, go look at the screen, text it, and it\u2019ll basically tally up the songs, and I will play those songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The musician went on to suggest that ticketholders should dig deep into his catalogue when making their selections, concluding: \u201cWhatever the song, I\u2019ll learn it before the show. I\u2019m prepared, so surprise me.\u201d<\/p>\n

5 songs of our choice<\/a>
byu\/FreddyTSGamer<\/a> inEdSheeran<\/a><\/p>\n

The first night in Auckland then saw Sheeran play four fan-requested cuts from a B-stage in the stadium. These were 2011\u2019s \u2018Little Bird\u2019, early track \u2018Sofa\u2019 from his 2010 EP \u2018Loose Change\u2019 (first performance since 2013), 2014\u2019s \u2018Tenerife Sea\u2019 and 2017\u2019s \u2018Supermarket Flowers\u2019 (via Setlist.FM<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Bookending the song recommendation set on both evenings were 2023\u2019s \u2018Eyes Closed\u2019<\/a> and 2011\u2019s \u2018Give Me Love\u2019.<\/p>\n

For the second gig, Sheeran dusted off the fan-picked selections \u2018Lego House\u2019 (2011), \u2018A Little More\u2019<\/a> (2025), \u2018Kiss Me\u2019 (2011) and \u2018The City\u2019 (2011).<\/p>\n

Check out the fan-shot footage here:<\/p>\n

#ESLoopTourAKL1<\/a> Tenerife sea pic.twitter.com\/82rqx1Wu0B<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Haydon Appleton (@HaydonTDG) January 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Before bringing \u2018Sofa\u2019 back to the setlist, Sheeran told the audience: \u201cI played it on the \u2018+\u2019<\/a> tour in 2011 or 2012 \u2013 around that time. So it\u2019s like 15 years since I played this song. Whoever requested it \u2013 \u2019cause there was a fair few of you \u2013 I hope you enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be a lot of people in this audience that may not even have heard the song, but this is a song called \u2018Sofa\u2019 from 2008.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheeran\u2019s 2026 \u2018Loop Tour\u2019 is scheduled to resume in Wellington on Wednesday (January 21), ahead of further shows in Christchurch, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. He\u2019ll then head to South America and North America later this year.<\/p>\n

In other news, Sheeran recently played his single \u2018Drive\u2019 on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with an all-star band<\/a> featuring Dave Grohl<\/a>, John Mayer<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n

The F1 track<\/a> has been shortlisted for the Oscars 2026\u2019s Best Original Song<\/a>, alongside cuts by the likes of Nick Cave<\/a>,\u00a0Nine Inch Nails<\/a>,\u00a0KPop Demon Hunters<\/a> and Miley Cyrus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Sheeran said last month that he feels like he and Taylor Swift are \u201csiblings\u201d<\/a>. He also commented on the pop star\u2019s previous claims that he is \u201cthe James Taylor<\/a> to my Carole King<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n