Ed Sheeran, Vance Joy, Mia Wray, Aaron Rowe @ Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 5/3/2026
On a summery Thursday evening, Adelaide welcomed back global mega-star Ed Sheeran for the final Australian date of his highly anticipated Loop Tour. On the back of Sheeran’s latest album Play, the Loop Tour feels like a blend of where Ed’s come from with a mix of where he is now. This is both in discography with eight studio albums now under his belt but also building the show around his iconic, loop station.
From busker to stadium-juggernaut, Ed Sheeran’s third round at Adelaide Oval was not to be missed.
With fans piling in early, the tone was set by a curated support line up of Aaron Rowe, Mia Wray and Vance Joy. Dublin-raised up and comer Aaron Rowe felt like a fitting way to open the evening, with an acoustic focused set that was well worth getting in early for. He was followed Queensland’s Mia Wray, who treated the building crowd to thoughtful and soulful indie-pop bliss. Featuring songs from her 2025 debut album “hi, it’s nice to meet me”, the emotion-driven setlist really put you in the mood to feel something.
They set the stage for the Australia’s favourite ukelele wielding footballer, Vance Joy. As the main support for the Australian & New Zealand tour, Joy’s forty five-minute set was packed full of hits Adelaide has been singing back to him for years. Anthems like Mess is Mine, Fire and the Flood and Georgia echoed around the stadium with fans hooked on every chorus. Vance’s set featured a surprise take on KISS’ I Was Made For Loving You, ending with his international breakthrough, Riptide. Noting his gratitude towards Ed for the opportunity to be a part of such a momentous tour, Vance Joy is made for these slots and never fails to deliver. It’s also interesting to note, Ed Sheeran and Vance Joy share some unique similarities getting arena experience and grand exposure early in their careers opening for Taylor Swift on separate tours.
A now full Adelaide Oval was excited and raring to go. Ed’s new gigantic screen began a video introduction with clips of his meteoric rise. It also explained the loop station that would run the show and confirmed what was recorded tonight, would be lost forever and completely rebuilt come the next show.
The screams started while the video played as Ed began his walk through his crowd to the B-Stage in the middle of Adelaide Oval.
As soon as the intro finished, Ed launched into You Need Me, I Don’t Need You. Almost as high-octane as Sheeran could open the show, Ed built the song on his loop station before rapping the verses that made him a viral sensation all those years ago. Building the second loop of the over ten-minute epic, Ed’s new production marvel, a first-of-its-kind, fully collapsible bridge descended over the crowd allowing him to travel freely to finish the song on the Main Stage. It was a sight to behold and marked a new production milestone for Sheeran’s team, along with the increased lighting and pyrotechnic package that evolved over the show.
The bridge disappeared completely under the Main Stage as Ed welcomed the crowd before warming them up with hits young and old. It was a dynamic block of songs, covering energetic tracks like Sapphire, Castle on the Hill and Shivers, all with synchronised pyrotechnics to match. The energy was broken up by the devastating ballad that started it all, The A Team. Ed introduced the song noting it was written when he would play to no one. Flash forward fifteen years to phone lights lighting a stadium on the other side of world, the crowd still sings every word. R&B fuelled Don’t ended the block with Ed crossing the bridge back to the B-Stage. With the goal to send fans home voiceless, Ed was off to a good start.
The next few songs felt like a step back in time. Playing a song from the 2023 album – (Subtraction), released just after Ed’s last stint of Aussie shows, Eyes Closed is a moving tribute to his late friend Jamal Edwards and a study of grief and the denial that comes with it. Ed then played three fan-chosen songs that were voted on before the show started. Noting “it feels like this is a party vibe”, Ed brought back the energy with Sing and I’m a Mess from his sophomore release, X (Multiply). Before another touching tribute, this time to Ed’s late mentor and friend Michael Gudinski with Visiting Hours. The “mystery song” trope is a welcomed addition stadium acts have been trialling, that are otherwise restricted by production to play the same show every night. Give Me Love finished this set of songs, with Ed using his bridge to split the stadium for vocal harmonies.
Returning to the Main Stage, Irish folk band Beoga joined Ed to back his next set of songs, starting off with Irish themed Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan. With the stadium up and about, the following songs had the room singing to smashes like I Don’t Care and the firework assisted Celestial. A highlight of this section of the show was Camera with Ed calling on the crowd to flash their phone cameras during the song’s chorus, creating a stadium-wide flutter of light. The set was concluded with the powerful fan favourite Photograph, which ended on the B-Stage.
Back on his own, Ed took an opportunity to flex his writing for other artists with a medley including songs like One Direction’s Little Things and Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself. Ed then played the “two songs that will never leave the setlist”, Thinking Out Loud and Perfect. You could feel the importance of both songs to the crowd, with them both famously sound tracking so many life moments. Ed’s last song on the B-Stage was The Hobbit inspired I See Fire, that was assisted by flames from the stage shooting into the sky.
Ed returned to the Main Stage to close the main set, starting with Play’s fun and bouncy Symmetry. We then got a full look at the scale of Ed’s new production with the laser and flamed fuelled Bloodstream which the room and crowd alight. Ed took time to thank the fans, noting his love and gratitude for Australia and its people over the years. He also thanked and showed appreciation for the effort and lengths audiences take to attend his shows, which isn’t often acknowledged. A softer Afterglow was then played before Ed’s first stage exit of the night.
With a short break, Ed returned to send the crowd home buzzing. The encore consisted of three of Ed’s biggest and most energetic hits, Shape of You, Azizam and ending with Bad Habits. Singing in a Play styled Ipswich Town FC jersey, the capacity crowd sang and jumped not wanting it to end. Bad Habits brought the night to a close with a flame and firework display that rivals Adelaide’s NYE celebrations.
Ed’s love affair with Australia is now near fifteen years strong and he has truly given his all to every stage he’s stood on. One of the few artists that can make a stadium feel intimate and personal but also look at home amongst his biggest and most ambitious production to date. This marks the end of another Australian run for Ed, however with tours expanding to longer runs these days, here’s to hoping we may see him again on the Loop Tour.
Live Review By Liam Kerr