Source: Radio New Zealand
Ed Sheeran is playing two nights in Auckland, before heading south. Supplied / Mark Surridge
Auckland is hosting the opening night of Ed Sheeran’s global Loop Tour on Friday night.
The chart-topping British singer-songwriter is playing two shows at Go Media Stadium, on Friday and Saturday, before heading to Wellington and Christchurch the following week.
Auckland deputy mayor Desley Simpson said it was super exciting for Auckland to be kicking off Sheeran’s world tour.
“We think there’s something like 80,000 fans over two nights. The actual setup is really going to be fantastic,” she said.
“They say there is the largest video screen ever that has been built in New Zealand being built right now in time for the show. Ed wants every single person to be able to intimately see what he’s singing, and I think we’ll get some really good effects from that super large video screen.”
Simpson had snagged a ticket to Friday’s concert.
“I can’t wait. I saw him at Eden Park and loved him, I just think he’s great, he’s warm, he’s real, he can play,” she said.
Simpson said to help concert-goers get to and from Go Media Stadium special event buses would be leaving from the city, for people on the North Shore and people travelling from Quay Street.
She said Auckland had had a strong start to the year in terms of events attracting visitors.
“Already in January, until the 14th of January, we’re close to 20 percent up on hotel bookings in Auckland. We know events, festivals, and concerts really contribute to us economically and we also know the hospitality and the accommodation sectors do benefit,” she said.
Hospitality New Zealand head of advocacy Sam MacKinnon said Sheeran’s concerts in Auckland would provide a great boost to the city’s economy.
“Ed Sheeran is a massive drawcard and we’re expecting to have full venues, full bars and restaurants and obviously accommodation will be pretty full up as well so it’s great to have another big event this summer to really help bolster the balance sheets and support the industry,” he said.
Sheeran will wrap up the New Zealand leg of his tour with a show at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on 21 January and two shows at Christchurch’s Apollo Projects Stadium on 24 and 25 January.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
