ED SHEERAN ANNOUNCES 2018 NORTH AMERICAN STADIUM TOUR
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 its 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.
About U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium, owned by the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, is a multi-purpose stadium and home to the Minnesota Vikings. The 66,200 seat stadium is located in the heart of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This state-of-the-art facility hosts prominent national and international programming including the Minnesota Vikings, concerts, family shows, college and high school sporting events, conventions, trade/consumer shows, and corporate or private meetings and other community events. U.S. Bank Stadium opened on July 22, 2016 and has been chosen as the site of the Summer X Games (2017 and 2018), Super Bowl LII (2018) and the NCAA Men’s Final Four (2019).
U.S. Bank Stadium is an SMG managed facility. M Hospitality is the official food and beverage provider for U.S. Bank Stadium.
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About SMG
Celebrating its 40th anniversary and founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theaters, performing arts centers, amphitheaters, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 15 million square feet of exhibition space and more than 1.5 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming; construction and design consulting; and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s NRG Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions and catering companies, currently serving more than 140 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com.