Ed Sheeran at the MCG Melbourne

Ed Sheeran at the MCG Melbourne photo by Winston Robinson

Ed Sheeran Breaks Attendance Record In Melbourne With 109500 Tickets Sold

by Paul Cashmere on March 4, 2023

in News

Ed Sheeran has broken the attendance record for ticket sales in Melbourne beating the record he set just the day before.

On Friday night 3 March 2023, Sheeran officially sold 109,500 tickets, the most tickets sold to one show ever in Australia. The previous evening he sold 107,000 which was also a record.

The largest concert ever held in Australia was by The Seekers in 1967 with an estimated 200,000+ in attendance but that was a free concert. As Ed’s two shows were limited by space at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, over the two nights he had a combined 216,500 ticket sales, beating the one day Seekers record.

The Melbourne dates were a special occasion for the Gudinski family. Frontier Touring founder Michael Gudinski began discussions about an MCG show when Ed last toured Australia. It was planned to be ‘in the round’ but on 2 March 2021 Michael died and never saw his vision come to fruition.

His son Matt, who now runs the family empire, drove the plan across the line. The first Melbourne show on 2 March 2023 was on the second anniversary of Michael’s passing. Ed wrote the song ‘Visiting Hours’ for Michael Gudinski and performed it at his memorial in Melbourne in 2021. The song has featured at every Australian show.

Ed Sheeran also dedicated the shows to Melbourne cricketing legend Shane Warne who died on 4 March 2022. To make the shows even more special, Ed performed a Melbourne classic, Hunters & Collectors ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ on both nights.

Ed Sheeran at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 3 March 2023

Tides (from =, 2021)
BLOW (from No. 6 Collaborations Project, 2019)
I’m a Mess (from x, 2014)
Shivers (from =, 2021)
The A Team (from +, 2011)
Castle on the Hill (from ÷, 2017)
Don’t / No Diggity (from x, 2014)
Give Me Love (from +, 2011)
Visiting Hours (from =, 2021)
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors cover)
Own It (Stormzy song) / PERU (Fireboy DML song) / Beautiful People (from No. 6 Collaborations Project, 2019)
/ I Don’t Care (from No. 6 Collaborations Project, 2019)
Overpass Graffiti (from =, 2021)
Galway Girl (from ÷, 2017)
Thinking Out Loud (from x, 2014)
Love Yourself (Justin Bieber song)
Sing (from x, 2014)
Photograph (from x, 2014)
Perfect (from ÷, 2017)
Bloodstream (from x, 2014)
Afterglow (from =, 2021)

Encore:
Shape of You (from ÷, 2017)
Bad Habits (from =, 2021)
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You (from +, 2011)

Ed Sheeran’s final two Australian shows are:

7 March, Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
12 March, Perth, Optus Stadium

https://www.frontiertouring.com/edsheeran

Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here

Be the first to see NOISE.com’s newest interviews and special features on YOUTUBE and updated regularly. See things first SUBSCRIBE here: Noise11 on YouTube SUBSCRIBE

Noise11.com

Follow Noise11 on Social Media

Noise11 on Instagram

You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter

Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook

Related Posts

Madness performing live on stage during their 2027 All Abroad For The Madness Hit Parade Tour announcement
Madness Announce 2027 Australia And New Zealand Tour

Madness will return to Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2027 for the All Abroad For The Madness Hit Parade Tour, their first Australian tour since 2017 and first New Zealand shows since 1981.

September 16, 2026
Macaulay Culkin promoting Home Alone: A Nostalgic Night With Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin Bringing Home Alone To Australia For Special Screenings

Macaulay Culkin will revisit his most famous role when Home Alone screens in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in November, followed by live audience Q&As with the actor.

September 16, 2026
Dolly Parton in concert photo by Ros O'Gorman
Anthony Albanese Saved Dolly Parton’s 2011 Australian Tour From Cancellation

Anthony Albanese's tribute to Dolly Parton following her death has recalled a remarkable chapter in Australian touring history, when the then Federal Transport Minister intervened to prevent Parton's 2011 Australian tour from being cancelled over the size and configuration of her American tour buses.

August 26, 2026
Aziz Ansari
Aziz Ansari Announces Australian And New Zealand Tour For 2026

The comedian, actor, writer and director will bring his new Hypothetical stand-up show to Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in September and October.

August 10, 2026
AXS
AXS Named Ticketing Partner for Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion

AXS will become the official ticketing partner for Sydney's Hordern Pavilion from 10 August 2026, expanding the company's Australian footprint while introducing its mobile ticketing and fan management platform to one of the country's best known live music venues.

July 15, 2026
Sam Neill socials profile image
Film Icon Sir Sam Neill Dies Aged 78

New Zealand actor Sam Neill, whose career spanned five decades across cinema, television and Australian productions, has died in Sydney at the age of 78, leaving behind one of the most respected acting legacies in the Southern Hemisphere and beyond.

July 13, 2026
Adam Kay promo photo
Adam Kay Announces Australian Tour For Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas Live

British author, comedian and former doctor Adam Kay will return to Australia this summer with his live stage production Twas The Nightshift Before Christmas Live, bringing his bestselling medical memoirs and festive stories to audiences across seven cities.

July 13, 2026