Ed Sheeran to headline new Abu Dhabi festival
Ed Sheeran is to headline a new one-day gathering in Abu Dhabi, promoted by Theory Eleven Entertainment.
The multi-genre Off-Limits Festival, which will debut at Etihad Park (cap. 40,000), Yas Island, on 26 April, is being organised in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and immersive destination specialist Miral.
It will feature more than 20 acts across two stages devised by renowned stage designer Florian Wieder, creator of the bespoke outdoor venue utilised for Adele’s Munich residency this August.
“He handled the entire design for Adele’s shows, from the stage to the food and beverage areas,” Theory Eleven founder Sia Farr tells The National. “For Off Limits, he will create something unique to the festival that is ultra-modern, futuristic, and cohesive.”
The UAE capital will be the site of the world’s second Sphere venue and hosted Wireless Middle East at Yas Island last month, which featured acts such as 21 Savage, Yeat and A Boogie wit da Hoodie. Live Nation also launched the Amplified Music Festival in the city in 2022, topped by OneRepublic, Ministry of Sound Disco and Cigarettes After Sex.
“I think destinations now don’t look at festivals or concerts through an entertainment lens, but an economic one as well”
This weekend sees the return of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix and Yasalam After-Race Concerts, which will see performances from Teddy Swims and Peggy Gou (5 December), Maroon 5 (6 December), Eminem (7 December) and Muse (8 December).
Coldplay also bring their Music of the Spheres trek to Zayed Sports City for four sold out nights in January, and Farr speaks warmly of the tourism benefits of such productions.
“The economic footprint these shows leave is undeniable, and this is why we are seeing more festivals becoming greater tourism-driving factors than before,” he says. “In a lot of ways, I think post-pandemic, many dynamics have changed. Well-established countries are leaning heavily into destination tourism, and Abu Dhabi has been leading in that. I think destinations now don’t look at festivals or concerts through an entertainment lens, but an economic one as well.”
One Fiinix Live-represented Sheeran added a raft of new 2025 shows to his – +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour last week for Bhutan, Qatar and his biggest-ever run in India.
The Middle East will be a key focus at next year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC), with two dedicated sessions on the rapidly expanding region.
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Ed Sheeran sets tour dates for Bhutan, India and Qatar
Ed Sheeran has added a raft of new shows to his – +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour for Bhutan, India and Qatar.
The One Fiinix Live-repped act has announced his biggest-ever run in India, visiting six cities at the beginning of next year.
Between 30 January and 15 February 2025, the British star will visit Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Shillong and Delhi, promoted by AEG Presents Asia and BookMyShow Live.
Prior to that, the 33-year-old will deliver a concert in Bhutan, making history as the first-ever international artist to perform in the Buddhist kingdom on the Himalayas’ eastern edge.
The concert will be held at the 15,000-capacity Changlimithang Stadium in the country’s capital, Thimphu.
Tickets start from as low as US$10, though tourists attending the concert must also pay Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), a US$100 daily levy designed to help preserve the country’s unique environment and culture.
Jon Ollier recently told IQ that Sheeran wants “to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can”
Sheeran has also announced his first Qatar show in a decade at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha on 30 April, as well as his return to Bahrain’s Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre on 2 May, where he performed at the beginning of 2024.
The Mathematics tour, which was launched in 2022, will then conclude with his European stadium dates.
One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier recently told IQ that Sheeran wants “to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can”.
This year has seen Sheeran set multiple ticket sales records the world over, with destinations including Bahrain, the UAE, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Baltic States, Malta, Romania and Cyprus.
“It’s something that he’s always wanted to do,” explained Ollier. “It’s a gift we’ve been given to be able to do it, because not a lot of people can go and play all of those places. We have to plan these things years in advance and potentially doing it right in the midst of the cost of living crisis and war in Europe and all the rest of it, was incredibly challenging.”
Read the full interview here.
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Jon Ollier on touring, breaking acts & Ed Sheeran
One Fiinix Live founder Jon Ollier has talked the state of the business, breaking talent and Ed Sheeran in a new interview with IQ.
Ollier, who launched the UK-headquartered independent in November 2020, has touched upon an “incredible” year for the company, which represents the likes of Sheeran, 2Cellos, Calum Scott, Picture This, Black Stone Cherry and new signing Tash Sultana.
“We’re achieving everything that we set out to achieve,” he says. “We have a group of people that pull each other through and fight for each other, and we continue to make great strides. I think we’re really coming into our own
“We’re doing more stuff on a much bigger scale than any other independent agency. We’re seeing a lot of our agents develop their careers and push things forward, so I’m very excited about the future.”
The firm has widened its horizons over the last 12 months with the hirings of US-based agents John Pantle and Bex Wedlake.
“We put a lot of investment in at the start of the year and added the whole of the US team less than 12 months ago,” notes Ollier. “We expanded our London office and are seeing the emergence of six or seven acts up to arena level, which is all really positive.
“Obviously, we’re going through what other small businesses are going through in terms of inflation, the budget and the bloodbath that we’ve seen in festivals this year. Those sorts of challenges remain, so it’s a double-edged sword at the moment.”
“I’ve never been of the belief that a whole lot of music discovery goes on at festivals”
Ollier chaired a panel at this year’s ILMC that analysed whether a mid-level touring crisis was emerging amid the boom at the top end of the business. He suggests the main impact is being felt lower down the scale.
“Artists that would tour roughly the same size venues every two years – and do really good business – are the ones we’re seeing struggling at the minute, because people have a finite amount of money in their pocket,” he says.
Ollier reflects on the importance of festivals in an artist’s touring campaign.
“I’ve never been of the belief that a whole lot of music discovery goes on at festivals,” he opines. “As soon as festivals got beyond two or three stages, the idea that you have a captive audience isn’t really true. But what they have always done is help you to establish that cultural identity that comes with having played festivals we consider to be a sort of rite of passage, or that some of the tastemakers and gatekeepers involved in the business would expect you to play in order to demonstrate your cultural relevance.
“The side of it that is really tricky is that each and every manager and client believes they absolutely have to play hundreds of festivals every year – and that can be quite a difficult conversation to have.”
Another concern for the UK sector has been the lack of breaking acts in recent years. While there have been isolated success stories such as The Last Dinner Party, Ollier points out that genuine British mainstream breakthroughs have been thin on the ground.
“We’re not seeing a Chappell Roan or Noah Kahan really break into those upper echelons out of the UK”
“We’re not seeing a Chappell Roan, or a Noah Kahan, or anyone really break into those upper echelons out of the UK since, I guess, Lewis Capaldi,” he says. “I don’t think we’re being helped by the chaos at the labels at the moment. It strikes me they are trying to move their business model to be more like just rights-holders, like publishers are, and have a much less proactive role in an artist’s career.
“They’re putting the responsibility for creating success back onto the artist and the management, and then every time lightning strikes, they jump on it and can really move things along. You see that when you have things like Noah Kahan or Chappell Roan happen, where it comes out of the blue, but it feels more of a lottery. We’re not getting that support. We’re not getting that strategy from the labels.
“It is fun breaking artists, it is fun working with breaking artists, but very few artists are breaking out of the UK at the moment – that’s just a fact.”
On a more positive note, Ollier’s longtime client Ed Sheeran sold more than 600,000 tickets in an hour for his 2025 European +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour, while sales for his French stadium dates were described as “absolutely magnificent”.
“It’s done incredibly well for next year, in a way, more than we anticipated, which is fantastic,” Ollier tells IQ. “There are going to be some other bits and pieces that go on sale over the course of the next few months in other areas of the world, but by and large, it’s business as usual. He will continue to tour. He will be in Europe next year and he doesn’t envisage slowing down any time soon.”
“The short term is never something I’m concerned about… We’ve got to be thinking about what the next five years look like”
This year has also seen Sheeran set multiple ticket sales records the world over, with destinations including Bahrain, the UAE, India, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Baltic States, Malta, Romania and Cyprus.
“It’s something that he’s always wanted to do,” explains Ollier. “It’s a gift we’ve been given to be able to do it, because not a lot of people can go and play all of those places. We have to plan these things years in advance and potentially doing it right in the midst of the cost of living crisis and war in Europe and all the rest of it, was incredibly challenging.
“If we’d have had more foresight, you’d perhaps sidestep these things, but we went and did it and it was a great success. It is key to his vision, because he wants to get as far and wide and visit as many fans as he possibly can.”
In line with the rest of the industry, Ollier is predicting a stacked 2025.
“Next year is going to be a big year, for sure,” he says. “There’s lots going on, but the short term is never something I’m concerned about, because we can see what’s in the pipeline. The thing I’ve always got my eye on is the longer term, and making sure that we don’t lean on big years in the short term. We’ve got to be thinking about what the next five years look like.
“Our ambitions are to remain humble. We want to do a good job for our clients. We want to run a good company and we want to look after our people, and we will hopefully be able to achieve that.”
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‘Bulgaria is open for international stadium shows’
FEST Team founder and CEO Stefan Elenkov has told IQ that the Bulgarian market is open for international stadium shows.
Founded in 2012, the Sofia-based full-service promoter organises festivals such as the Sofia Solid series, Hills of Rock Festival, and Spice Music Festival, and has worked with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Iron Maiden, Tom Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Franz Ferdinand, Editors and Pantera.
This year, FEST Team realised a long-standing ambition of expanding into stadium shows with international artists, promoting concerts with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli at the National Stadium in Sofia.
In the past decade or so, Bulgaria has hosted just a handful of stadium concerts by international acts such as Imagine Dragons (2023), Roger Waters and Bon Jovi (2013) and Guns N’ Roses (2012) but FEST Team has been determined to make the country a viable tour stop for A-list artists.
“Bulgaria is an undervalued market,” Elenkov tells IQ. “Many people think that in Bulgaria you cannot sell tickets at decent prices because the economics is bad but we’ve proved otherwise. People have decent incomes and they can afford to pay good money for quality entertainment.”
There was no better proof of concept than Sheeran’s first-ever performance in Bulgaria in August, which sold 60,000 tickets and drew an audience comprising 98% Bulgarians. FEST Team also hailed “great success” with Andrea Bocceli’s show, which took place two weeks later at the same stadium.
“People have decent incomes and they can afford to pay good money for quality entertainment”
“I believe that, now, more and more artists will see that the Bulgarian market is ready for big artists,” Elenkov tells IQ.
Until now, Sofia’s National Stadium has been the only viable venue for international stadium shows but it has lacked the infrastructure needed to seamlessly host big tours, according to the FEST Team CEO.
“You could not drive a big truck inside of the stadium, which is a big logistic problem that usually delays tours,” explains Elenkov. “It’s why we missed out on hosting Coldplay because they didn’t have time to load in and out, outside the stadium.”
But in a massive win for FEST Team, the stadium and its associated stakeholders have agreed to construct a new tunnel to allow trucks to enter and leave the premises.
“We are at the stage where the architects are done with all the calculations and we’ve submitted all the documentation to the municipality and the Ministry of Sport for approval,” he says. “The actual reconstruction work will probably start at the beginning of February and it’s estimated to be finished by the beginning of the summer season which would be great.”
With a clear run at summer 2025, FEST Team has already confirmed its first stadium show for next year and is in the process of confirming another two.
“This has been our biggest year ever as a company and next year will be even bigger”
Elsewhere, construction has also started on a new 16,000-capacity stadium in Sofia, which is expected to be complete by spring 2026.
Though the venue will primarily be used by Sofia’s professional football team, it could open up further opportunities for stadium tours, says Elenkov.
As the stadium-level market develops, FEST Team is also expanding to accommodate healthy demand for mid-tier acts.
The company recently took over and refurbished the 7,000-capacity open-air Sofia Velodrome, where acts including The Smile, Bruce Dickinson, Five Finger Death Punch, Megadeath and Corey Taylor performed this summer.
Meanwhile, the company’s festival portfolio has expanded with the acquisition of urban city festival Sofia Live, and the launch of a new EDM festival called Aura.
And with an offer placed to purchase Eastern European promoter, talent buyer and artist agency Charmenko, it’s perhaps no surprise that 2024 has been a historic year for FEST Team.
“This has been our biggest year ever as a company and next year will be even bigger,” says Elenkov.
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International stars boost economy in Taiwan
Taiwanese city Kaohsiung has reported an economic boost from concerts, driven by international stars performing at the National Stadium.
The southern Taiwan city hosted 96 pop concerts between January and August this year, attracting 950,000 people and resulting in revenues of at least NT$3.2 billion (US$100 million).
In 2024 so far, the National Stadium in Kaohsiung has hosted concerts with the likes of Ed Sheeran (UK), Bruno Mars (US) and One Ok Rock (JP), as well as domestic stars including Energy and Mayday.
Concerts by superstars have attracted overnight and same-day visitors, bringing in an estimated tourism revenue of NT$32.7 bn (US$ 1bn), according to the city’s department of tourism.
It has been projected that more than 120 concerts will be held in the city this year, attracting more than one million concertgoers.
It has been projected that more than 120 concerts will be held in the city this year, attracting more than one million concertgoers
Last year, Kaohsiung hosted 117 concerts with artists including Coldplay at venues such as the Kaohsiung National Stadium, Kaohsiung Arena, Kaohsiung Music Center and Pier-2 Art Center.
The 15,000-capacity Kaohsiung Arena is mainly used for sporting events but has also welcomed local talents such as Zhang Qing Fang, Rene Liu, and A-Lin over the past 12 months.
Data from the city government showed that 1.39 million people attended these events in Kaohsiung, with their consumption of food, accommodation and other services or products generating more than NT$4.5 bn (US$ 141m).
To multiply the economic benefits of pop concerts, the city government has launched a programme to give out NT$50 night market coupons with concert tickets to boost the income of shopping areas.
The city’s catering industry generated gross revenue of NT$39.7 bn (US$1.2m) and the hotel industry saw NT$9.2 bn (US$ 288m) in revenue in the first half of this year – both a record high.
Kaohsiung’s airport, harbour, five-star hotels and 55,000-seat National Stadium has made the city the top destination in Taiwan for international stars, Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs Deputy Chief Chien Chia-lun said.
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Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour resumes in London
A week after cancelling three Austrian dates due to a terror threat, Taylor Swift returned to the stage for the first of her five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The singer was joined by surprise guest Ed Sheeran during the acoustic section of her set to play their Everything Has Changed and End Game collaborations, as well as a rendition of Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud.
In a five-star review of last night’s (15 August) 45-song, three-hour-plus performance, the Telegraph says: “Midway through the set, proceedings were temporarily halted by an ovation so long and loud and heartfelt that Swift took out her ear monitor to experience it fully.
“She likened the audience’s appreciation to ‘a love system overload’. You could apply that to the whole show. It’s what the world needs right now.”
The Times awarded the concert four-stars, concluding: “The Eras tour is a well-oiled machine, delivering the greatest (or most successful) hits from each album in a set routine with no encores. This could make it seem impersonal… Yet the faces around me seemed enraptured.
“People are paying mega money for this (for two women I met it was £800) and you can’t say she doesn’t deliver as a performer, making her crowd deliriously happy and emotional.”
“To support with the safe entry and exit of everyone within the stadium, no one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic Steps at the front of the stadium”
The 92,000-cap shows will continue at the UK venue on 16-17 and 19-20 August to mark the European finale of The Eras Tour, which is set to conclude in North America this December. Swift played three nights at Wembley in June, bringing her total number of Eras Tour shows at the London stadium to eight – more than any other city in the world.
The run will see her crowned as the biggest-selling female artist to ever perform at the London venue, in addition to setting a new record for the longest residency of a solo artist at Wembley.
Last month, in a practice known as “Tay-gating“, an estimated 40,000 fans gathered on a hill outside the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany, to listen to Swift’s performance. In light of the Vienna arrests, Wembley Stadium posted a reminder to ticketless fans that they would be unable to stand outside the venue during the shows.
“To support with the safe entry and exit of everyone within the stadium, no one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic Steps at the front of the stadium,” said a statement. “Non ticket holders will be moved on.”
Upon the conclusion of the Wembley residency, the tour will take a two-month break before restarting in the US at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on 18 October.
Meanwhile, the UK government quoted Swift songs to announce it will launch a consultation in the autumn regarding new consumer protections on ticket resale.
With Taylor in town, there’s no better time to begin taking swift action on ticket touts pic.twitter.com/YVe8KanC4p
— Department for Business and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 16, 2024
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Ed Sheeran draws over 81k fans to Lithuania
Ed Sheeran has set a new ticket sales record for an international artist in the Baltic states after drawing more than 81,000 fans over two nights in Lithuania.
The British singer-songwriter brought his +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour to the Dariaus and Gireno Stadium in Kaunas on 3-4 August, presented by AEG Presents, FKP Scorpio and local co-promoter L Tips Agency.
“Ed’s year in 2024 has been full of record breaking shows not just in the Middle East & Asia but now in the Baltics,” says Simon Jones, AEG’s SVP, international touring. “The shows in Lithuania this past weekend were a fantastic return to the region, and he continues on into Eastern Europe and the Balkans doing some of the biggest shows these countries have ever seen. It never ceases to amaze me.”
FKP Scorpio touring director Inga Esseling adds: “We are more than happy to have broken yet another record with the most attended show ever by an international artist in the Baltics. We’d like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to L Tips and all local stakeholders without whom the second music concert ever in Kaunas stadium, as well as 80.000 sold tickets in only two days, wouldn’t have been possible.”
The event was the first international artist show to take place in the newly renovated stadium in Kaunas.
“Ed Sheeran concert in Darius and Girenas stadium is a record breaker for Kaunas city,” says Zalgiris Group head of events department Mantas Vedrickas. “Effects of this show can be felt not only in Kaunas, but in all Lithuania. I strongly believe that this show will be the ground breaker for all international and local upcoming shows.”
Kaunas city director of municipal administration Tadas Metelionis says the shows were a “huge success” and brought additional economic benefits for the region.
“The concerts’ overall impact on the city’s economy is estimated to be around €14 million”
“Not only were the concerts the biggest commercial event in Kaunas’ history, but they also attracted thousands of foreign concertgoers from neighbouring countries, according to preliminary estimates,” says Metelionis. “The concerts’ overall impact on the city’s economy is estimated to be around €14 million. The positive feedback from participants gives us confidence in hosting even more events in the future.”
The shows marked the third time that L Tips Agency, which is one of the largest independent promoters in the Baltic States, had organised Sheeran’s concerts in the Baltics.
“We are happy and grateful for Ed Sheeran’s loyalty because we have already promoted all six of his shows in the Baltics together,” says Gints Putniņš, CEO of L Tips Agency. “It was a big challenge to promote the first shows of this level in the new Kaunas stadium, but with such a great local team and partners like FKP Scorpio, AEG and the city of Kaunas, nothing is impossible.”
Putniņš and other local independent promoters spoke to IQ about the groundbreaking tour earlier this year.
Sheeran, who is represented by agent Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live outside North America, has announced the Mathematics run will conclude next year after extending to a fourth year.
Renowned promoter Salomon Hazot recently praised the “absolutely magnificent” sales for Sheeran’s 2025 French stadium dates, while FKP Scorpio confirmed additional nights in Germany, Belgium, Norway and Sweden after selling more than 600,000 tickets in an hour. The 33-year-old will also play extra shows in Switzerland and Denmark.
PHOTO (L-R): Hannah Chapman (tour, event & production manager, AEG Presents), Jessica Vincent (international touring, AEG Presents UK), Simon Jones (SVP, international touring, AEG Presents), Folkert Koopmans (founder and CEO, FKP Scorpio), Ed Sheeran, Gints Putnins (CEO, L Tips Agency), Inga Esseling (touring director, FKP Scorpio)
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Salomon Hazot hails ‘magnificent’ Ed Sheeran sales
Renowned promoter Salomon Hazot has praised the “absolutely magnificent” sales for Ed Sheeran’s 2025 French stadium dates.
Hazot is staging the singer-songwriter’s +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour concerts at Marseille’s 70,000-cap Orange Vélodrome Stadium (6-7 June) and Lille’s 65,000-cap Decathlon Arena (20-21 June) next year via his partnership with AEG Presents France.
“We sold out each stadium in less than two hours,” Hazot tells IQ. “This is the first time any artist has sold out those towns in one day and added a second night. Beyoncé only did one night. Maybe the biggest French artist, called Jul, could do more, but he did not want to. Nobody else has ever done it.”
With prices ranging from €29-150, Hazot says Sheeran tickets are “the cheapest on the market for the stadium” and points out the absence of VIP and platinum packages.
“It’s not too expensive,” he continues. “You do two nights instead of one, and you grow. It’s more money and you will sell twice as much merch, etc.”
Nevertheless, Hazot admits to being taken aback by the level of demand given the 33-year-old Brit has no new album to promote – his most recent LP was 2023’s Autumn Variations. The tour previously stopped in France in July 2022 for two sold out nights at Paris’ 80,000-cap Stade de France.
“The guy is so huge now here – to sell 130,000 tickets in Lille and 140,000 in Marseille – it’s embarrassing how big he is!”
“He’s just coming in the middle of nowhere, selling dates in summertime in France,” laughs Hazot. “The guy is so huge now here – to sell 130,000 tickets in Lille and 140,000 in Marseille – it’s embarrassing how big he is. I’m a good promoter but it’s not because of me, it’s because of him!”
A stalwart of the European live music business, Hazot has worked with artists such as Björk, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Bruno Mars, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Weeknd and Robbie Williams in his home market. He partnered with AEG two years ago, having previously created and managed Garance Productions, Nous Productions and Rock en Seine festival. He also served a stint as VP at Live Nation France and later teamed up with Olympia Production.
Moreover, Hazot suggests the success seen with Sheeran is bucking the overall trend on the French live scene.
“The market is tough right now for any kind of music – R&B, pop, independent, rock, hard rock,” he says. “Of course, we’ll still have bands that sell out quick, but everyone is saying the market is difficult. Festivals cancel and not only because of the weather. It’s like life in general – it is tough for everyone.”
Sheeran, who is represented by agent Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live outside North America, recently announced the Mathematics run will conclude in 2025 after extending to a fourth year. Promoter FKP Scorpio confirmed additional nights in Germany, Belgium, Norway and Sweden after selling more than 600,000 tickets in an hour for the initial dates. He will also play extra shows in Switzerland and Denmark.
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600k tickets sold in 60 mins for Ed Sheeran tour
Ed Sheeran has added extra tour dates to his 2025 European +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour after selling more than 600,000 tickets in an hour.
Due to demand, promoter FKP Scorpio has announced second nights in Germany at Stuttgart’s MHP Arena (28 June), Volksparkstadion in Hamburg (7 July) and Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf (6 September), as well as in Norway at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadion (27 July), in Belgium at Antwerp’s Middenvijver Park (7 August) and in Sweden at Strawberry Arena, Stockholm.
Sheeran will set a new concert attendance record with his Norway gigs, with 36,000 fans set to flock to the stadium per night. It has previously hosted up to 31,000 fans. FKP Scorpio Norway’s Tim Salvesen says that organisers have been “overwhelmed” by the response since come since last Friday’s announcement.
“In collaboration with Ed Sheeran’s team and with good help from Ullevaal Stadium, we are really happy to be able to put on another concert next summer,” Salvesen tells VartOslo.
Sheeran will also perform a second show in Zurich at Stadion Letzigrund on 3 August in cooperation with All Blues/TAKK, and a third date at Copenhagen’s Øresundsparken in Denmark on 31 August with Smash!Bang!Pow!
The Mathematics Tour was the seventh highest-grossing tour of 2023, according to Pollstar
Held in support of the singer-songwriter’s = (2021) and – (2023) albums, the 131-date tour launched in Ireland at Croke Park, Dublin in April 2022. The trek was the seventh highest-grossing tour of 2023, according to Pollstar, garnering $268 million from 2.5 million attendees.
“In 2025, Mathematics Tour comes to an end,” said Sheeran in an Instagram post last week. “Gonna be hitting most of the other places we haven’t been to yet, but the first dates to go up will be the rest of Europe, more to follow.”
Local independent promoters recently spoke to IQ about how they are breaking ground in their markets with record ticket sales for Sheeran’s 2024 European dates.
Sheeran is represented by agents Marty Diamond and Ash Lewis at Wasserman for US and Canada, and Jon Ollier at One Finiix Live for the rest of the world.
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Ed Sheeran confirms 2025 European stadium tour
Ed Sheeran’s +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour will officially extend to a fourth year after the star confirmed a final slate of 2025 European stadium dates.
The singer-songwriter, who is represented by Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live outside North America, will play shows in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland and Denmark next year.
The run is currently due to start at Civitas Metropolitano in Madrid on 30 May and conclude in Dusseldorf’s Merkur Spiel-Arena on 5 September, with further announcements to follow. Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday (10 July).
Sheeran also has upcoming 2024 concerts at Polsat Plus Arena in Gdansk, Poland (12-13 July), Puskás Aréna in Budapest, Hungary (20 July), Park 360 in Hradec Kralove, Czechia (27-28 July), Darius and Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania (3-4 August) and the Hipodrom in Zagreb, Croatia (10 August).
“In 2025, Mathematics Tour comes to an end. Gonna be hitting most of the other places we haven’t been to yet”
In addition, he will perform at Austria’s Frequency Festival (14 August), Ušće Park in Belgrade, Serbia (17 August), Romania’s National Arena in Bucharest (24 August), Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria (31 August) and Land of Tomorrow in Larnaca Bay, Cyprus (7-8 September), as well as headlining Brazil’s Rock in Rio on 19 September.
“In 2025, Mathematics Tour comes to an end,” says Sheeran in an Instagram post. “Gonna be hitting most of the other places we haven’t been to yet, but the first dates to go up will be the rest of Europe, more to follow.”
Held in support of Sheeran’s = (2021) and – (2023) albums, the 131-date Mathematics Tour launched in Ireland at Croke Park, Dublin in April 2022. The trek was seventh highest-grossing tour of 2023, according to Pollstar, garnering $268 million from 2.5 million attendees.
Last month, the 33-year-old set a new record in Malta for the largest-ever paid-for concert, with 35,000 fans flocking to Ta’ Qali National Park in Attard – his first-ever performance in the country. Local independent promoters in Bulgaria and Latvia also spoke to IQ about how the tour is breaking ground in their markets.
The full list of 2025 tour dates is as follows:
30 May: Cívitas Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
6 June: Orange Vélodrome Stadium, Marseille, France
14 June: TBA, Italy, Rome
20 June: Decathlon Arena – Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, France
29 June: MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany
5 July: Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany
26 July: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
2 August: Stadion Letzigrund, Zürich, Switzerland
8 August: Middenvijver Park, Antwerp, Belgium
16 August: Tarczyński Arena, Wroclaw, Poland
23 August: Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
29-30 August: Øresundsparken, Copenhagen, Denmark
5 September: Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
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