Ed Sheeran returns to Perth this weekend for his first Optus Stadium performances in three years, but his tour company does not expect the star to break his own attendance record set during his last visit. The British pop star claimed the state's ticketed event record on March 12, 2023, when 73,092 fans attended his sole local performance.
Sheeran will launch the Australian leg of his Loop Tour in Perth on Saturday, with Frontier Touring projecting each of his Saturday and Sunday night shows to draw crowds upwards of 55,000, totaling around 110,000. By comparison, AC/DC's two Perth concerts in December last year drew 97,000 overall.
The decision to host two back-to-back shows instead of one mega performance does not reflect a lack of interest, but rather an evolution of his stage configuration. In 2023, Sheeran used an in-the-round stage offering a 360-degree view, which allowed for greater total attendance. For his New Zealand shows, he returned to a more regular front-facing setup, which is expected for his Perth performances.
Sheeran's closest local attendance competition, Coldplay's Music of the Spheres performances in 2023, drew 65,562 and 66,458 on November 18 and 19 respectively. Sheeran also holds the honor of hosting the first ever concert at Optus Stadium in March 2018, with over 58,000 attendees.
Unlike AC/DC or Metallica, Sheeran will not open a pop-up merch store for fans, but merchandise will be sold within the Optus Stadium precinct during performance days. He will showcase his eighth studio album Play, released in September 2025, performing singles Azizam, A Little More, and Old Phone live in Western Australia for the first time.
Sheeran will be supported by Australian artists Vance Joy and Mia Wray, as well as Irish all-female group BIIRD. After Perth, he will perform three shows each in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, concluding his Australian tour with a single performance in Adelaide on March 5.
