Ed Sheeran Stole Hearts At His Mathematics India Tour, Creating The ‘Perfect’ Evening For Fans

BookMyShow Live creates history with India’s biggest live music concert yet, celebrating 25 years of Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

By Anushka Solanki

Published on Mar 17, 2024 | 10:12 AM IST | 122.1K

Ed Sheeran's India Tour [BookMyShow]

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 16th, 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-favorite Ed Sheeran, from any angle in the venue, as he took the city by storm!

Ed Sheeran's India Tour [BookMyShow]

BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment division of BookMyShow, brought Ed Sheeran’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 6-year hiatus following his previous blockbuster successful outing with the Divide Tour in 2017. BookMyShow Live created history with Ed Sheeran’s +-=÷x Tour being India’s biggest live music concert yet, marking the 25th anniversary of its parent company, BigTree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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!”, leaving the crowd hooting.

Ed Sheeran's India Tour [BookMyShow]

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!”, 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 Sheeran’s soul-stirring music.

Ed Sheeran’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 in 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 Sheeran 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's India Tour [BookMyShow]

Last year alone Sheeran released two albums, ‘-ʼ (Subtract) and ‘Autumn Variations’, both of which topped charts across the globe. Sheeran’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.

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-favorite ‘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 Sheeran and his profound love for Indian audiences.

Ed Sheeran's India Tour [BookMyShow]

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.

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 marveling 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.