After seeing Ed Sheeran twice, once in 2018 and again in 2023, I thought I’d seen it all. The loop pedals, the moving stages, the crowd interactions, everything! But it turns out little ol’ red head Ed still had a few tricks left up his sleeve… and despite only seeing him in concert just 3 years ago, he managed to genuinely surprise me and put on one heck of a show for the 40,000 of us at Go Media Stadium last night.

At 8:00 PM on the dot, we were hit with a dramatic visual intro on the large curved screen, which was reminiscent of an Apple commercial at points, showing Ed’s loop pedal before going into a cinematic-style trailer.

Now, there was the main stage at one end of the stadium, but about halfway into the mosh was a smaller circular stage. 

From where I was seated, I couldn’t see, but I just immediately assumed there must be a fence gap for Ed to walk between the two or a hidden tunnel. Well, there wasn’t quite a hidden tunnel, but instead a hidden … BRIDGE?! 

Midway through Ed’s opening of 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You', just like a Transformer, the larger main stage suddenly opened up, and this skinny bridge slowly erected out of it like a crane, extending over the crowd to the smaller stage where Ed began.

He swaggered across this bridge while belting out in song, and the crowd went wild! I couldn’t help but be worried for the people below it, but Ed looked confident walking over each time, and he repeatedly checked in with the crowd below to make sure they weren't overwhelmed by the bridge going over them. So fear not if you are in the middle of the mosh and close to the front, you’re actually in for a treat!

The concert was LOUD!  But in the best way possible. From the deep drumming bass of Ed hitting his guitar to the fireworks on the chorus of some tunes, my Apple Watch kept notifying me how many times the noise exceeded 90 dB. But I didn’t care - I was having too much fun. And I wasn’t alone, I saw a kid on someone's shoulders waving his shirt around his head as if he was at a 2000s rock gig, and even the security guards were clapping and having a boogie!

The visuals with every song Ed performed were gripping! They didn’t just have Ed and his guitar projected onto the large curved screen with each track; it was a new experience every time. We had a bit of neon at one point, some water painting vibes, there was a full-on retro comic-book look, and even New Zealand was in the mix with the gorgeous South Island going full display during 'I See Fire', which Ed wrote in New Zealand for the second instalment of The Hobbit trilogy.

Speaking of New Zealand, Ed once again expressed his unending love for our little country.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to spend a month of my life before starting the tour. If I hadn’t married a girl from my hometown that I went to school with and didn’t live 10 minutes away from my parents, then I would absolutely live in New Zealand, I promise you that!” Sheeran said to a roaring applause.

Ed had the crowd in the palm of hands. If he wanted lights in the air, the stadium suddenly lit up with 40,000 cell phone torches. If he wanted a clap, he got ‘em. He even divided the stadium in half to do harmonies during a few songs.

“Coldplay have bracelets, I have YOU!” Sheeran said.

Not only was this the first New Zealand show, but it was the first show for the entire Loop Tour! Ed mentioned a handful of times how he was nervous because of all the new additions they’d made to the show and the stage.

“This is the first time I’ve been nervous in a long time!” he said. “Things will mess up tonight, which is a good thing, I guess, makes it original.”

Earlier, between Ed's opening acts (Aussies Vance Joy and Mia Wray, and Irish band Biird), a message was displayed to the audience to text song requests from Ed’s large discography. These songs would be tallied up and voted for Ed to learn (or remember) right before the show - talk about pressure!

“I’ve released about 200 songs, and I feel like I’ve only performed 30”, he said, before kicking off into what can only be described as a round of deep cuts for the true Ed Sheeran fans (aka my girlfriend). He played 'My Little Bird' and 'Sofa' from one of his earliest EPs in 2010.

“It’s been about 15 years since I last played this song!” Sheeran said, referring to My Little Bird.

He followed those classic tracks with some more recent b-sides; 'Tenerife Sea' (from X in 2014) and 'Supermarket Flowers' (from ÷ in 2017) before rounding out the requests with one of my personal favourites (and the song which introduced me to him entirely); 'Give Me Love' from his first album, +.

Another standout, which I loved on this tour compared to previous ones, was the cover section! If you didn’t already know, not only is Ed a talented singer, but also an incredible songwriter. He’s written several high-charting, popular tracks that you’re bound to recognise.

He mashed a handful of these into a fun medley which had the crowd cheering at every tune they recognised. We got a taste of 'Eastside' by Khalid and Halsey, '2002' by Anne-Marie, 'Cold Water' by Justin Bieber, 'Little Things' by One Direction and closing out another Bieber classic, “Love Yourself”, even including the original lyrics! (IYKYK).

Before I knew it, the show had gone on for over two and a half hours! Ed swiftly left the stage once he performed 'Afterglow' before returning for a triumphant encore of 'Shape of You', 'Azizam', and 'Bad Habits' and leaving the stage to fireworks exploding overhead.

There was no way I could have guessed any of that was going to take place when I entered the venue three hours earlier. I left the stadium buzzing, but absolutely knackered in the best way.

Auckland (again), Wellington, and Christchurch, you guys are in for a TREAT!

Ed Sheeran — Auckland Setlist (Night One: 16 January 2026)

Main Set (Part 1)

1. You Need Me, I Don’t Need You

2. Sapphire

3. Castle on the Hill

4. The A Team

5. Shivers

6. Don’t

7. Eyes Closed

Fan Suggestions

8. Little Bird

9. Sofa

10. Tenerife Sea

11. Supermarket Flowers

12. Give Me Love

Main Set (Part 2)

13. Galway Girl (with Beoga)

14. Nancy Mulligan (with Beoga)

15. I Don’t Care (with Beoga)

16. Old Phone (with Beoga)

17. Heaven (with Beoga)

18. Camera (with Beoga)

19. Celestial (with Beoga)

20. Photograph

Medley — Songs Written by Ed Sheeran

21. Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself

Main Set (Part 3)

22. Thinking Out Loud

23. Perfect

24. I See Fire

25. Symmetry

26. Bloodstream

27. Afterglow

Encore

28. Shape of You

29. Azizam

30. Bad Habits

Photography by Arju Pun