The India leg and the final stop of Ed Sheeran’s record-breaking +-=÷x Tour ended with the audience beaming in the ‘Afterglow’ making the summer of 2024 the most memorable one by far!
Held in the heart of Mumbai at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on March 16, 2024, the night was a dream come true for many with spectacular visuals, Ed’s vivacious energy and a first-of-its-kind 360-degree circular, revolving stage and stadium-style setup that ensured each member of the audience enjoyed an unparalleled view of the fan-favourite Ed, from any angle in the venue, as he took the city by storm.
Ed Sheeran’s concert was held in the heart of Mumbai at Mahalaxmi Racecourse on March 16. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment division of BookMyShow, brought Ed’s +-=÷x Tour to India as promoters for the tour along with AEG Presents as the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist returned to the country after a six-year hiatus following his previous blockbuster successful outing with the Divide Tour in 2017. BookMyShow Live created history with Ed’s +-=÷x Tour being India’s biggest live music concert yet, marking the 25th anniversary of its parent company, BigTree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
The night was a dream come true for many with spectacular visuals. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Prateek Kuhad regales his fans
The evening started with singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad’s first live performance this year bringing his all-time hits as the audiences swayed and soaked in his soulful performance of ‘CO2’ opening the evening followed by Tum Jab Paas, Mulaqat, and Kasoor. The audience later gave a thunderous welcome to the special guest for the tour, singer-songwriter Calum Scott who amped up the excitement of the crowd with a Kasa Kai Mumbai! (How are you Mumbai?), leaving the crowd hooting.
Beginning his set with the iconic ‘Lighthouse’, followed by iconic hits like ‘At Your Worst’, ‘Whistle’, ‘Biblical’ and more, he ended his set with a Bohot Shukriya Mumbai! (Many thanks, Mumbai!), with a song that he finds to be the purest moment— ‘You Are The Reason’ dedicating it to every single audience member, as he is awestruck by Mumbai. His fans sang along as he set the stage for the audience to revel in Ed’s soul-stirring music. This was also Calum’s first time in India.
Calum Scott was awestruck seeing the energy of music lovers in Mumbai. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ed receives roaring welcome by India’s biggest crowd
Ed’s entry on stage was like hiding in plain sight while the audience’s eyes were glued to the stage as soon as the 10-minute countdown began. He sneaked into hiding inside a humongous case that was wheeled in below the iconic stage. Performing in India for the third time, and this time to his biggest crowd ever in India, Ed received a roaring welcome as the audience cheered him on. The entire venue was filled with posters and placards with the Mathematics symbols of the tour and his albums; fans could not get enough of him.
Sporting his quintessential monochrome ensemble, he humbly graced the stage with his charming smile and brought Mumbai to a standstill starting his much-awaited performance with ‘Tides’. His fondness for his Indian fans was evident as he addressed the fans with a heartfelt hello to Mumbai. Capturing the hearts of the thousands of fans that came from far and wide in an Indian Kurta with Mumbai written on the back in Hindi, Ed sang ‘Shivers’, ‘Castle on the Hill’, ‘Galway Girl’, ‘Thinking Out Loud’, ‘Love Yourself’, ‘Happier’, ‘Perfect’ and many more. When he sang the much-anticipated ‘Shape Of You’, Ed Sheeran tugged on the strings of Mumbai’s heart, as he said, “Mumbai, I love the Shape of You”. Asking Mumbai if they were up for one last song, he ended the night with ‘Bad Habits’ as the audience jumped up high!
Ed Sheeran sang along ‘Lover’ with Diljit Singh taking audience by surprise. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Last year alone Ed released two albums, ‘-ʼ (Subtract) and ‘Autumn Variations’, both of which topped charts across the globe. Ed’s almost 150 minutes performance featured hits such as ‘Sing’ and ‘You Need Me’ from his discography including ‘Plus,’ ‘Multiply’, ‘Divide’, ‘Equals’ and the newest ‘Subtract,’ and also surprised fans with a song from 2019 album ‘No. 6 Collaborations Project’ – ‘Blow’. At the end of the unforgettable night, he thanked his fans who could not contain their mixed emotions from tears, nostalgia, love and happiness as they took back memories from one of the most awaited performances of the year.
Ed Sheeran promised to come back with shows in multiple Indian cities next year. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Armaan Malik, Diljit Dosanjh join Ed on stage
Indian multilingual singer-songwriter Armaan Malik took fans by surprise, joining the iconic Ed Sheeran on stage as they sang ‘2step’. The pumped-up crowd went into a frenzy when the multi-faceted singer, songwriter, and actor Diljit Singh showed up on stage while Ed had the audience grooving to his crowd-favourite ‘Lover’ when Ed sang along with him taking over the stadium-style production marvel.
From his iconic ‘Lover,’ ‘Peaches,’ ‘Kinni Kinni’ Diljit is riding the success wave at an all-time high. At the end of the performance, he said, “Give it up for Ed Sheeran” in Punjabi fondly appreciating Ed and his profound love for Indian audiences.
Ed Sheeran’s vivacious energy and a first-of-its-kind 360-degree circular, revolving stage and stadium-style setup ensured each member of the audience enjoyed an unparalleled view from any angle in the venue. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Also spotted at the event were celebrities charmed by Ed’s musical magic, including Gauri Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Isha Ambani, Farah Khan Kunder, Anand Piramal, Priyamani, Gaurav Kapoor, Ritviz, Milind Soman, Mira Kapoor, Salim-Sulaiman, Aditya Seal, social media sensation Orry and more.
Fans from across Indian cities had come to Mumbai for Ed Sheeran’s concert. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The production and the stage detailing raised the bar for live entertainment in India. The mammoth 360-degree circular, revolving stage gave a full view of the singer from different angles during the concert, as fans were left marvelling at the sheer grandeur of the ‘Perfect’ colossal stadium-style set-up. A giant circular halo screen was positioned at the centre of the stage which also added to the experience along with an elevated immersive sound quality and visual aesthetic.
