Ed Sheeran Mathematics Tour Experience
Photo was taken by Me! (Raymond James Stadium, May 2023.)
Ed Sheeran performed at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to a sold-out crowd, with over 65,000 fans in attendance, making it the biggest show he has played in Florida to date. The concert was part of his +–=÷× Tour (Mathematics Tour) in support of all 5 of his studio albums, + Addition, – Subtract, = Equals, ÷ Divide, and × Multiply. His most recent release was Subtract.
The Mathematics Tour has 88 total shows across three legs, originally commencing on 23 April 2022 in Dublin, Ireland, and is scheduled to conclude on 23 September 2023 in Inglewood, California. Each show has a two-hour setlist, with Sheeran performing songs from his entire career. Some fans online have compared it to Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ saying “Ed Sheeran is on his own Eras Tour,” as his audience got to indulge themselves in their favorite hits from the early days of his career up to his newest releases.
The show featured one of the highest-tech stages I have ever seen, settled in the center of the stadium Sheeran danced around on a 360-degree spinning circle, surrounded by mini stages to house his band and hanging screens shaped like guitar picks! (Reference photo below)
On the road with Sheeran for the US Leg of the tour were opening acts Dylan, and Khalid. Though I did miss seeing Dylan perform due to heavy traffic, I was just in time for Khalid and he was excellent, hyping the audience with his R&B-influenced music! The crowd loved him and his funky powerful set!! A perfect entree for Ed!!
It was obvious from walking into the stadium that this wasn’t just going to be an ordinary concert, this was a one-of-a-kind, out-of-this-world production!
Raising the bar to a whole new level from his last show at the esteemed stadium in 2018, Ed had all kinds of fireworks and flames throughout many of his songs just adding to the magic that is his typical one-man show with the infamous loop pedal. For those who are not familiar with what the loop pedal does, Sheeran explained to the crowd “There is no backing track whatsoever, it is all made live on the spot.” He records a sound or strum on his guitar to make the backing track of the music and he adds his voice in layers to create a brand new song live for every show, nothing is ever the same. This is just one of many reasons his talent is so highly regarded.
One of my personal favorite performances of the night was his newly released hit “End Of Youth,” the lyrics and the emotion he put into the song while singing gave me a whole new respect for him as an artist. It was absolutely spectacular.
All in all the Mathematics Tour was one of the most fantastic shows that I have seen Ed put on. It has been fun for me to watch his career grow immensely over the last three times I have had the chance to see him perform. His energy and passionate performance in songs about both love and deep grief was unbelievable. Simply put, it is a show that I will not easily forget. Whether you've been a fan of Ed Sheeran from the beginning or are just discovering him now, you won't want to miss his +–=÷× Tour. It's sure to be a night of unforgettable music and entertainment.
-XOXO Rachel
Ed Sheeran wearing Tampa Shirt onstage (City of Tampa Facebook)
