A proud sponsor of the Ipswich football team, Ed’s support goes beyond the stage, his album covers even feature on the team’s shirts.
The evening opened with rising star Aaron Rowe, who’s also set to support Lewis Capaldi on tour this autumn. His energy was electric and the crowd fed off it from the first chord to the last.
Armed with just his guitar, Aaron delivered a powerful solo set including a heartfelt cover of ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles. He also gave the audience a sneak peek of his upcoming single ‘Talking to You’ which drops on 18th July.
Next up was the incredible Tori Kelly, who had the crowd on their feet in no time. She performed a beautiful cover of ‘A Thousand Miles’ by Vanessa Carlton, which she said was one of her all time favorites and had everyone singing along. She also performed her track from the movie Sing prompting a wave of clapping and dancing throughout the crowd.
Myles Smith followed with a set that kept the momentum going strong. He opened with ‘Wait for You’ setting the tone for an unforgettable performance. Playing all his biggest hits, he closed with ‘Stargazing’ a song that truly lit up the night with fans on shoulders, arms in the air and voices ringing out in unison.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for Ed Sheeran himself. He opened with ‘Sapphire’ and the energy was instantly electric. As the song built, clouds of colourful smoke burst into the sky from the top of the stage setting the tone for a truly remarkable night.
Between songs, Ed explained how he creates all his music live using a loop station and a mix of instruments, a process that left the audience in awe. Shouting, “It’s good to be home” he had the entire stadium roaring with joy. One standout moment was ‘Castle on the Hill’ a true crowd favourite that felt especially powerful in his hometown.
A defining feature of Ed’s shows is the incredible use of visuals. Each song was paired with unique dynamic screen effects, from vibrant animations to cinematic visuals, it enhanced every moment and gave each track its own atmosphere. He didn’t hold back on the production either, fireworks and pyro lit up the stage throughout songs like ‘Give Me Love’ ‘BloodStream’ and many more.
Before performing ‘Eyes Closed' Ed gave a heartfelt tribute to his late best friend Jamal, creating a deeply emotional moment in the set.
A special highlight of every Ed Sheeran show is the custom medley he performs, and for this night it included ‘River’, ‘Peru’, ‘Beautiful People’, and ‘I Don’t Care’, a mix that had the entire stadium singing in unison. Performances of ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ brought one of the liveliest moments of the night, the crowd was bouncing, dancing and shouting every lyric like it meant everything.
Before debuting his new single ‘Old Phone’, Ed opened up about a difficult chapter in his life, being sued over two of his songs and going through court. He shared that during the process he handed over his phone, only recently getting it back and discovering old messages and memories. The lyrics ‘Conversations with my dead friends / Messages from all my exes’ demonstrated this and helped deliver a powerful message about resilience, memory and never giving up on what's right.
Ed also performed an acoustic cover of 'Love Yourself', a song he wrote for Justin Bieber. For a huge moment, he brought out Westlife for a joint performance of their hit song ‘Flying Without Wings’ which sent the crowd into a nostalgic frenzy.
Throughout the night, especially during songs like ‘Perfect’ and ‘Thinking out loud’ thousands of phone torches lit up the stadium, swaying from side to side which was a magical sight to witness.
For the encore, Ed returned to the stage wearing an Ipswich Town football shirt, driving the crowd wild. He closed the show with three explosive hits, ‘Azizam’, ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Bad Habits’ with colourful fireworks firing from every corner of the stadium during ‘Bad Habits’. It was the perfect ending to a night no one in Ipswich will ever forget.
Olivia Brown
Image: Mark Surridge
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