ED SHEERAN – MARVEL STADIUM – MELBOURNE – 26.02.2026
Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
Global phenomenon, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran played Marvel Stadium, Melbourne last night during his Australian Loop Tour 2026, featuring Special Guests Vance Joy, Mia Wray and Aaron Rowe as supports. Despite the slight chance of rain, the stadium roof was left open allowing for a spectacular outdoor music festival vibe. Like Sheeran, the three supporting artists were all singer-songwriters too, so it was the perfect lead up before Ed Sheeran took to the stage.
Aaron Rowe a lad from Ireland, opened the show. Rowe possesses a soulful voice and blends his Irish influences from his days of playing in pubs and busking the streets of Dublin. He played solo with acoustic guitar and is very much a storyteller. Those who arrived early seemed to really enjoy his short 7-song set and hear songs like Hey Ma, Please Don’t Hate Me, Talking With You and Drawing The Line.
Mia Wray is from Noosa, Queensland and plays a soul-infused brand of indie pop. Mia opened with Work With Me, which showcased her powerful vocal capabilities. Wray performed an 8-song set which included songs from her debut album Hi, It’s Nice To Meet Me (2025) with Tell Her, Not Enough and The Way She Moves. Wray also performed Stay Awake, Monster Brain and Isn’t It Funny. During her set, Mia said that she first saw Ed Sheeran when she was 10 years old and never thought that one day she would be supporting him. Mia’s songs are about her life journey and identity. Wray and her band seemed to be having loads of fun on stage, particularly on their latest release When We Were Young.
Melbourne’s Vance Joy is another from the acoustic, storytelling, indie folk mould and provided an upbeat vibe for the crowd. Vance alternated between the ukelele and acoustic guitar during his 10-song set playing several songs from Dream Your Life Away (2014) with Mess Is Mine, Fire and the Flood and Georgia. His band were soaking up the atmosphere and were dynamic on stage, especially having a trumpet and saxophone player adding to this festival spirit. Vance played three songs from Nation of Two (2018) with Lay It On Me, I’m With You, Saturday Sun and other singles Missing Piece and Divine Feelings. Vance finished his set with a KISS cover of I Was Made For Loving You and the global hit Riptide, which swept away the crowd with its upbeat melody.
Ed Sheeran casually wandered through the crowd and made his way to the small B Stage situated in the middle of the stadium. He kick-started the show with YOU NEED ME, I DON’T NEED YOU which is from his self-titled 2011 album. It’s a personal declaration of independence against the music industry that tried to change his sound rather than accept him as he was. It’s a high-energy fusion of beatboxing, folk, and hip-hop which saw Sheeran frenetically strumming his acoustic guitar, using loop pedals and rapped vocals. Towards the end of the song a large mechanical, telescopic ‘skybridge’ grew out from the main stage, crossing over the top of the crowd, connecting to the B stage, which provided a walkway for Sheeran to make his way to the Main platform.
Sheeran played a strong, diverse 28-song setlist for almost 3 hours and considering that for the majority of the show he performs solo, this was super impressive. There were no lulls throughout the show, with a good mix of mellow, vibrant, multicultural influences and fast-paced pop and folk songs to keep the crowd engaged. That combined with wonderful cinematic visuals displayed on a giant backdrop, lasers, fireworks, pyros and smoke cannons, made for a spectacular show. It was fascinating to see Sheeran swap over his guitars almost every song too.
The vibrant SAPPHIRE followed with its high-spirited blend of Indian-instrumentation and Western pop finishing with a fanfare of fireworks. Fan favourite CASTLE ON THE HILL had everyone singing so loud they almost drowned Sheeran out. It’s such a wonderful song about Ed growing up in his hometown of Framlingham in Suffolk, England. Ed has an incredible connection with the crowd and talks candidly between songs about his music and life. Sheeran said “everything is live and made on the spot using loops and layers”. The folk ballad A TEAM which he wrote when he was just 18 years of age when he was working at a homeless shelter was stunning. Hearing the powerful lyrics “Stuck In her Daydream” and “Breathing in Snowflakes” is about a homeless woman named Angel who descended into a life of drug addiction and prostitution. The upbeat, funky, fast-paced pop song SHIVERS was a catchy, feel-good love song about the sensation and excitement of being lovestruck in a new romance and getting jitters and shivers.
During the evening, the skybridge allowed Sheeran to perform different parts of the show on the B stage. Before the show started there had been a QR code where fans could request a song and the songs chosen and played on the B stage were LITTLE BIRD, HAPPIER and I’M A MESS. He finished with GIVE ME LOVE which the crowd loved and sang along to with passion. To break up the show, Sheeran played a short set on the main stage with the Irish folk band Beoga singing GALWAY GIRL, NANCY MULLIGAN, I DON’T CARE, OLD PHONE, CAMERA and the wonderful CELESTIAL. Hearing the fiddle and bodhran gave the night a slice of Irish atmospherics.
It was back over the skybridge to the B stage to hear Sheeran perform a raw and wonderful solo set starting with a medley of EASTSIDE / 2002 / COLD WATER / LITTLE THINGS / LOVE YOURSELF. A few crowd favourites and standout songs were THINKING OUT LOUD and PERFECT. During I SEE FIRE (featured in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug film) he made his way back to the Main Stage with flames lighting up the stadium. This followed with incredible cinematics, laser show and pyros during SYMMETRY, BLOODSTREAM and AFTERGLOW.
Sheeran performed a 3-song encore including the global hit SHAPE OF YOU with its tropical house reggae-inspired beats created by a simple, looping four-chord progression and tresillo rhythm. The dance-pop single AZIZAM influenced by Persian music and culture followed and he finished with the pulse-pounding, high energy, synth-heavy pop song BAD HABITS. What an incredibly spectacular and entertaining evening. If you’re keen to catch Ed Sheeran while he is in Melbourne, he is playing at Marvel Stadium tonight and tomorrow night – 27 & 28 February.
SET LIST:
Main Stage:
YOU NEED ME, I DON’T NEED YOU (started on B Stage)
SAPPHIRE
CASTLE ON THE HILL
THE A TEAM
SHIVERS
DON’T
B-Stage:
EYES CLOSED
LITTLE BIRD (fan voted)
HAPPIER (fan voted, tour debut)
I’M A MESS (fan voted)
GIVE ME LOVE
Main Stage:
GALWAY GIRL (with Beoga)
NANCY MULLIGAN (with Beoga)
I DON’T CARE (with Beoga)
OLD PHONE (with Beoga)
CAMERA (with Beoga)
CELESTIAL (with Beoga)
PHOTOGRAPH
B Stage:
EASTSIDE / 2002 / COLD WATER / LITTLE THINGS / LOVE YOURSELF
THINKING OUT LOUD
PERFECT
I SEE FIRE (Ended back on Main Stage)
Main Stage:
SYMMETRY
BLOODSTREAM
AFTERGLOW
Encore:
SHAPE OF YOU
AZIZAM
BAD HABITS
