Ed Sheeran is putting part of his Australia and New Zealand Loop Tour directly in the hands of fans.
Ahead of the tour’s opening night in Auckland, the singer-songwriter revealed that each show will include a live, fan-driven setlist element, with audiences invited to text in song requests that he will perform on the night.
In an Instagram Story shared Thursday (Jan. 15), Sheeran explained that a phone number will appear on screens inside the venue before the show begins, allowing fans to submit the songs they want to hear. Those requests will be tallied in real time, with the most popular picks making it into the set.
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“So tomorrow, if you are at the gig, there will be a big thing on the screen before it begins where it will say ‘text in song recommendations,’” Sheeran said.
“There’s five slots in the gig where I’ll play any song that you guys decide.”
The singer added that the selections aren’t limited to current hits or recent releases, and that he plans to prepare whatever fans vote for ahead of showtime.
“So whatever song you wanna hear at the gig, go look at the screen, text it, and it’ll basically tally up the songs, and I will play those songs, whatever the song is,” he said.
“I will learn it before the show. So, surprise me and see you tomorrow.”
Sheeran’s Loop Tour kicks off with two shows at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium, followed by dates in Wellington and Christchurch before crossing to Australia later this month.
The Australian leg opens with back-to-back shows at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, before continuing to Sydney’s Accor Stadium (Feb. 13–15), Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium (Feb. 20–22), Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium (Feb. 26–28), and wrapping up at Adelaide Oval on March 5.
The tour supports Sheeran’s latest album, Play, which features the singles “Azizam,” “Sapphire,” and “Old Phone.” Across the run, Sheeran is joined by special guests Vance Joy and Mia Wray on all dates, with BIIRD appearing on New Zealand and Perth shows, and Aaron Rowe supporting in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Tickets for the Loop Tour are on sale now via Frontier Touring.