ED SHEERAN ANNOUNCES 2018 NORTH AMERICAN STADIUM TOUR
TOUR STOP IN TAMPA NOVEMBER 7, 2018 AT RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM
CROSS- COUNTRY TREK KICKS OFF AUGUST 18TH AT THE ROSE BOWL
FAN PRE-SALE BEGINS MONDAY, OCTOBER 16TH AT 10AM LOCAL TIME, WITH
GENERAL ON-SALE STARTING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20TH
GLOBAL SUPERSTAR LAUNCHES NEW SINGLE “PERFECT” WITH LIVE PERFORMANCE
ON ABC’S “GOOD MORNING AMERICA” AND THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED RETURN OF
MTV’S “TRL” ON OCTOBER 2ND
SOLD OUT ARENA TOUR ARRIVES IN NYC THIS WEEKEND WITH 3 NIGHT STAND AT
BROOKLYN’S BARCLAYS CENTER
2X-PLATINUM CERTIFIED "÷" CONTINUES TO BE THE BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM OF
THE YEAR THUS FAR
HISTORY-MAKING LEAD SINGLE “SHAPE OF YOU” IS
THE MOST STREAMED SONG EVER ON SPOTIFY
Multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning global superstar Ed Sheeran has announced details for his
first-ever North American stadium tour. Dates begin next summer on August 18th at the Rose
Bowl in Pasadena, CA, and continue into November (see attached itinerary).
To ensure that tickets go to his fans, not scalpers or bots, Sheeran is partnering with
Ticketmaster to use the #VerifiedFan system. Registration opened on Friday, September 22,
2017 at 5:30 PM ET and closes on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 10 PM ET. The Fan Presales
are set to begin Monday, October 16th 10 AM and run through Thursday, October 19th 10 PM (all
times local). The general public on-sales are Friday, October 20th at 10am (local).
Last week, Sheeran launched the latest single “Perfect” with a companion lyric video that
amassed over 3 million views on YouTube in the first 24 hours and is now up to over 6.4 million
views. “Perfect” made it’s U.S. television premiere this morning with a live performance on
ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Next week, Sheeran returns to NYC’s Times Square for the
much-anticipated return of MTV’s “TRL” on October 2nd.
“Perfect” is the 3rd single off of Sheeran’s blockbuster 3rd studio album “÷” (pronounced
“divide”). Now certified 2x-platinum by the RIAA, the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s third
studio offering is the biggest selling album of the year thus far. After debuting at #1 on the
Billboard 200 with the biggest first week sales at the time of its March release, “÷” remained
in the chart’s top 10 for a staggering 24 weeks. In the U.S. alone, tracks on “÷” have
collectively earned more than 1 billion on demand streams.
Sheeran has likewise enjoyed record-setting success with the album’s 6x-Platinum certified,
lead single “Shape Of You,” which is now the most streamed on song ever on Spotify. In
addition to topping Billboard’s “Hot 100” for 12 weeks, the hit song remained in the top 10
for 33 consecutive weeks, the most ever in the chart’s 59-year history. “Shape of You” and
follow-up Platinum certified single “Castle On The Hill” debuted at #1 and #6 respectively on
Billboard’s “Hot 100” upon their tandem release at the top of the year, establishing Sheeran
as the first artist to ever have two singles make simultaneous top 10 debuts.
****
Multi-platinum, multiple GRAMMY Award winning singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has quickly
established himself as one of the world’s biggest musical artists with over 26 million albums
sold and 5 billion Spotify streams. His third studio album “÷” (pronounced divide) has proven
to be a global phenomenon of its own, selling over 4 million units worldwide in its first week.
In the U.S., “÷” entered the Billboard 200 at #1 and has since been RIAA certified 2x-
Platinum. The landmark album has also gone to #1 on iTunes in 102 countries around the
world, and shattered the record for the highest first week Spotify streams ever, logging more
than 375 million streams over the full week. Lead single “Shape Of You” earned Sheeran his
first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it held the top spot for 12 weeks, and has already
been certified 6x-Platinum by the RIAA. Sheeran’s follow-up single “Castle on the Hill” has
also been certified Platinum by the RIAA and has joined "Shape Of You” at the top of the radio
charts. Sheeran has supported his latest album with a number of high profile, national
television appearances including performances on the 59th GRAMMY Awards, Saturday Night
Live, TODAY, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 2017
Billboard Music Awards, and most recently the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. Additional
press highlights include Sheeran’s first Rolling Stone cover, inclusion in TIME’s “100 Most
Influential People in the World,” CBS This Morning Sunday profile, The Howard Stern Show,
The Late Late Show with James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and more. This summer, Sheeran
received the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 2017 Hal David Starlight Award which honors gifted
young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with original
compositions.
As one of the world's most in-demand songwriters, Sheeran has penned hit songs for both
himself and other top artists including Taylor Swift, One Direction, The Weeknd, Major Lazer,
Tori Kelley, and Justin Bieber, who’s blockbuster single “Love Yourself” was the #1 song on
Billboard’s 2016 year end Hot 100 chart and nominated for “Song of the Year” at this year’s
GRAMMY Awards. The song earned Sheeran his 11th GRAMMY nomination, and the third time in
the prestigious, songwriting category. In 2015, Sheeran was named Songwriter of the Year at
the Ivor Novello Awards, which celebrate, honor and reward excellence in British and Irish
songwriting and composing. Sheeran’s “The A Team” had previously been recognized for Best
Song Musically and Lyrically in 2012.
One of the planet’s most popular live performers, Ed has played sold out headline shows at
some of the biggest venues around the world, including Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA,
NYC’s Madison Square Garden where he played 3 sold out shows, Suncorp Stadium in Sydney,
and London’s Wembley Stadium where he performed in front of 240,000 fans over 3 nights.
Earlier this year, Sheeran kicked off his world tour in support of “÷,” with his 60-date North
American summer leg set selling out in minutes.
Sheeran made a triumphant return to the UK’s Glastonbury Festival to headline the Pyramid
Stage, once again performing with nothing but his guitar and loop pedal in front of an
audience of nearly 200,000.
Sheeran launched his own imprint, Gingerbread Man Records, in 2015, with the signing of
fellow British singer songwriter Jamie Lawson – whose self-titled album debuted at #1 in the
UK – and Irish troubadour Foy Vance.