Ed Sheeran returned to Melbourne with a marathon performance at Marvel Stadium, delivering a career-wide set that traced his journey from early acoustic roots to global pop dominance while reaffirming his enduring connection with Australian audiences.
by Paul Cashmere
Ed Sheeran launched the first of three Melbourne shows at Marvel Stadium on 26 February 2026 with a performance built on scale, craft and remarkable musical discipline, a two-and-a-half-hour set that moved seamlessly across every phase of his recording career while maintaining the intimacy that first defined him.
The current Loop Tour production is among Sheeran’s most ambitious staging concepts yet. A towering main stage framed by giant video screens, strobes and fireworks connected via a telescopic bridge to a circular B-stage positioned deep within the audience. The design allowed Sheeran to shift constantly between stadium spectacle and close-up storytelling, often walking above the crowd to reposition himself mid-show.
Opening alone on the central platform (the b stage) with You Need Me, I Don’t Need You from 2011’s +, Sheeran immediately returned to the performance method that built his reputation, constructing songs live using loop pedals, guitar layers and vocal harmonies recorded in real time. Every sound heard during the show was created on stage and discarded at night’s end, reinforcing a philosophy he has maintained since his earliest club performances.
Across 30 songs, the concert functioned as a chronological map of Sheeran’s catalogue, highlighting how his songwriting evolved while retaining a consistent emotional core. Early material from + including The A Team, Little Bird and Give Me Love anchored the evening in the acoustic storytelling that first brought him international attention more than a decade ago.
The transition into arena-scale pop arrived quickly with Castle On The Hill and Shivers, illustrating the leap in ambition that followed the commercial breakthrough of x and ÷. Tracks such as Don’t, I’m A Mess and Photograph showcased the 2014 x era, an album that expanded Sheeran’s sonic palette and cemented his global presence.
The Melbourne audience also witnessed strong representation from later releases, including Eyes Closed from – and multiple selections from 2021’s =, among them Afterglow, Celestial and the closing anthem Bad Habits. These moments demonstrated Sheeran’s ability to translate contemporary pop production into a fully live environment without reliance on backing tracks.
A notable thread throughout the show was the inclusion of new material from Play, his 2025 album, signalling an artist still actively reshaping his live narrative rather than relying solely on established hits. Songs including Sapphire, Old Phone, Camera, Symmetry and the encore performance of Azizam sat comfortably alongside catalogue favourites, suggesting a confident integration of new work into a legacy setlist.
Midway through the performance, Irish folk group Beoga joined Sheeran for a lively collaborative segment featuring Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan, highlighting the Celtic influences that have periodically surfaced in his songwriting. The section reinforced Sheeran’s long-standing collaborative instincts, an approach also reflected in a medley of songs he has written for other artists, including Eastside, 2002, Cold Water, Little Things and Love Yourself. The sequence served as a reminder of his extensive songwriting footprint beyond his own recordings.
Throughout the night, Sheeran maintained a conversational rapport with the crowd, frequently introducing songs with personal context. Melbourne holds particular significance for the artist, a city he has repeatedly described as creatively inspiring and closely tied to his Australian touring history. The affection appeared mutual, with the stadium crowd responding as loudly to early catalogue deep cuts as to global chart hits.
The scale of the Marvel Stadium residency reflects Sheeran’s sustained popularity in Australia. His 2023 performances at the MCG drew more than 215,000 attendees across two nights, setting attendance benchmarks that positioned him among the country’s most successful touring artists. The contrast with his first Melbourne appearance in 2011, playing to fewer than 100 people at a small studio venue, underscores one of modern pop’s most dramatic touring trajectories.
As the show moved toward its finale, Thinking Out Loud and Perfect transformed the stadium into a collective singalong before the encore delivered a high-energy closing run of Shape Of You, Azizam and Bad Habits. Fireworks and lighting effects amplified the scale, yet the performance remained centred on one musician controlling every musical layer live.
By the end of the night, Sheeran had achieved a balance few stadium artists manage, delivering a technically complex production while preserving the feeling of a solo performer connecting directly with his audience. The Melbourne opening night demonstrated how his looping technique, once a novelty in small venues, has evolved into the engine powering one of the world’s largest live shows.
Check out the Mary Boukouvalus Noise11 Ed Sheeran Gallery from Melbourne 26 February 2026
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
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- Ed Sheeran by Mary Boukouvalas
Complete Setlist – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne – 26 February 2026
Main Stage
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You (from +, 2011)
Sapphire (from Play, 2025)
Castle on the Hill (from ÷, 2017)
The A Team (from +, 2011)
Shivers (from =, 2021)
Don’t (from x, 2014)
B-Stage
Eyes Closed (from -, 2023)
Little Bird (from +, 2011)
Happier (from ÷, 2017)
I’m a Mess (from x, 2014)
Give Me Love (from +, 2011)
Main Stage
Galway Girl (with Beoga) (from ÷, 2017)
Nancy Mulligan (with Beoga) (from ÷, 2017)
I Don’t Care (with Beoga) (from No. 6 Collaborations, 2019)
Old Phone (with Beoga) (from Play, 2025)
Camera (with Beoga) (from Play, 2025)
Celestial (with Beoga) (from =, 2021)
Photograph (from x, 2014)
B-Stage
Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself (Benny Blanco/Anne-Marie, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Justin Bieber songs medley)
Thinking Out Loud (from x, 2014)
Perfect (from ÷, 2017)
I See Fire Loud (from x, 2014)
Main Stage
Symmetry (from Play, 2025)
Bloodstream (from x, 2014)
Afterglow (from =, 2021)
Encore:
Shape of You (from ÷, 2017)
Azizam (from Play, 2025)
Bad Habits (from =, 2021)
Remaining shows
27 and 28 February, Melbourne, Marvel Stadium
5 March, Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
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