It's all adding up to be quite a week in Manchester ahead for Ed Sheeran. The global guitar-playing phenomenon continues his huge Mathematics tour of the UK with four massive gigs at Manchester's Etihad Stadium starting on Thursday, June 9.
And no pressure Ed, but you're following in the footsteps of homecoming hero Liam Gallagher fresh from his stirring gig inside the Etihad to start Manchester's mad June of live gigs. The Bad Habits hitmaker has certainly had plenty of warm up for his Manchester reign at the home of the Premier League champions though.
He's played to record-breaking crowds in Wales at the Principality Stadium, then on to Sunderland's Stadium of Light - winning rave reviews for his performance in the process. And when the global guitar hero plays his four night stint in Manchester it will be to simply huge capacity crowds of 60,000 each night.
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It's quite something from the singer-songwriter from Suffolk who has returned to touring for the first time since his record-breaking Divide Tour, which also wowed fans here at the Etihad back in May 2018 and went on to become the most-attended and highest-grossing tour ever by its completion.
So what can fans here expect from the new Mathematics show? As well as a rip-roaring romp through his greatest hits back catalogue it will be an all-new production set up, with Ed's staging in the round and rather cunning video screens mounted in the shape of a large guitar spectrum.
It promises to give fans quite the up-close and personal experience wherever you're sat in the stadium. We were there for the opening night on Thursday and you can read our review here.
With Ed's pals including former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney, we can almost guarantee there will be an outing of a Manchester football shirt during the stadium run. Although whether Ed will be dividing his allegiances between the red and blue sides of the city is yet to be seen....
Who are the support acts?
There will be two support acts for the Manchester Etihad Stadium shows. The anticipated stage times are set out below.
Opening the show will be guitar rocker Dylan. She is billed on her Instagram as "big mean emotionally fragile songwriting machine".
She has supported Ed at some of his previous shows on the Mathematics tour, including in Wales and Sunderland. She has spoken of the tour being an "absolute dream" so far, and her most recent post from on stage said: "This is surreal".
Then Maisie Peters will take to the stage ahead of Ed's headline show. Singer songwriter Maisie is signed to Ed's Gingerbread Records label and they have collaborated on the track Psycho.
The 21-year-old is known for her candid tunes which Ed has praised in recent interviews. He told the BBC: "She's a very special artist who continues to push her storytelling in new directions.
"We had a few great writing sessions together and from there I knew I had to work with her."
Stage times
Doors will open at 4pm for each show, and the entertainment is set to start from 6pm.
Stage times are always approximate, and subject to change.
6pm - 6.30pm - Dylan
7pm to 7.45pm - Maisie Peters
8pm - Ed Sheeran (for guidance, he has been arriving on stage in Manchester between 8.10pm and 8.15pm)
10.30pm - close
How to get there
The Etihad is located a mile and a half east of the city centre and is easy to get to using public transport.
The nearest major train station is Manchester Piccadilly. From there, you can catch a tram to the Etihad Campus Metrolink stop (which is right outside the stadium), take a taxi from outside the Store Street exit, or walk (around 30 to 40 minutes).
You can also catch a tram directly from any of the following city centre stops: Deansgate-Castlefield, St Peter's Square, Piccadilly Gardens or Piccadilly Station. Take the Ashton-under-lyne or Etihad Campus lines.
The Metrolink network is very busy on concert nights so allow plenty of time for travel.
Take a look at our full guide to concerts at the Etihad stadium for more detailed information on public transport, driving directions and parking.
Is there food and drink at the stadium?
There's a whole raft of food and drink options both outside the Etihad Stadium and also once inside the concert. We've put together a full guide to food and drink prices which you can find by clicking here.
Is there parking at the stadium?
There is car parking at the stadium, but this is limited and must be pre-booked here . It is highly recommended however to use public transport to the stadium. There are a number of pay-for car parks in the city centre that can be used close to tram stops at Piccadilly, Manchester Central and Oxford Street and then take the tram to the Etihad Campus.
If you're parking around the stadium, a road closure operates immediately after the event to allow pedestrians to leave the Etihad Stadium safely. This is in place for approximately 20 minutes after the end of the show. This is, however, subject to GMP approval and may be in place for longer than stated above. Roads affected by the closure are as follows:
Ashton New Road – between Alan Turing Way and Darley Street
Grey Mare Lane – between Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way
Merrill Street – between Pollard Street and Ashton New Road
Walking map
It's around a 30 to 40 minute walk from Piccadilly Train Station all the way to the Etihad Stadium. Here's a map of the route.
Set list
This is the set list Ed played on his opening night in Manchester at the Etihad Stadium on June 9, 2022, but is always liable to change. Ed said that Lego House was a change due to a technical issue on opening night, and at previous gigs he has played Give Me Love at that part of the show.
Tides
BLOW
I'm a Mess
Shivers
The A Team
Castle on the Hill
2step
Don't / No Diggity
Lego House
Visiting Hours
Own it / PERU/Beautiful People/ I Don't Care
Overpass Graffiti
Galway Girl
Thinking Out Loud
Love Yourself
Sing
Photograph
Perfect
Bloodstream
Afterglow
ENCORE
Shape of You
Bad Habits
You Need Me, I Don't Need You
Are tickets still available?
Tickets for most of the shows on the UK tour sold out within minutes of being put on sale last year, with extra dates swiftly added. There is only limited availability remaining now on the opening night in Manchester on Thursday, June 7.
You can find all current availability for Ed's shows at https://www.edsheeran.com/tour.
What you can and can't take in
We've put together a full guide for what you can and can't take in to the Etihad Stadium for the concerts, which you can find here.
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