Ed Sheeran Pays Tribute To Michael Gudinski and Shane Warne At First Melbourne Concert

It was no coincidence that the first Melbourne show for Ed Sheeran on his current Australian tour was scheduled for March 2. March 2, 2023 marked the second anniversary of the Mushroom founders passing.

Michael Gudinski was an Ed Sheeran supporter right from the start of his career. Michael was one of 50 of us at that very first ever Ed Sheeran performance in Melbourne at Backhouse Studios in 2011. That night also performed in the round, on a round table about one metre across.

Last night in Melbourne, the crowded was slightly bigger, 104,950 people bigger actually. The Melbourne show last night was the biggest audience for a paid audience ever in Australia. Tonight will be even bigger at 107,000. (The record is still held by The Seekers at The Sidney Myer Music Bowl on March 12, 1967 with over 200,000 but that was a free concert).

Ed performed Mark Seymour’s Hunters & Collectors classic ‘Throw Your Arms Around Me’ for Michael as well as the song he wrote for his memorial ‘Visiting Hours’.

Earlier he dedicated ‘The A Team’ to Shane Warne. It was one of Warne’s favourite songs. Shane played his first test match at the MCG in 1992.

Ed Sheeran will perform his second show tonight at the MCG.

Ed Sheeran setlist 2 March 2023

Tides
BLOW
I’m a Mess
Shivers
The A Team (Dedicated to Shane Warne)
Castle on the Hill
Don’t / No Diggity
Give Me Love
Visiting Hours (Dedicated to Michael Gudinski)
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors cover)
Own It / PERU / Beautiful People / I Don’t Care
Overpass Graffiti
Galway Girl
Thinking Out Loud
Love Yourself
Sing
Photograph
Perfect
Bloodstream
Afterglow

Encore:
Shape of You
Bad Habits
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You

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