Ed Sheeran wants to tour more, but near home

Ed Sheeran has spent years performing to millions across the globe, but now he’s hoping the future of his live shows looks a little different, and a lot closer to home. 

Even after earning more than £1.16billion in ticket sales from his last two massive world tours, he says constant travel isn’t something he wants to continue as his family grows.

The singer shared that his priority has shifted to staying present for his wife Cherry and their daughters, Lyra and Jupiter, who will both be in school soon. 

He recently made a list of what truly matters to him. 

“I wrote down a list the other day of things that matter to me and one is my family, one is songwriting, one is doing shows,” he explained. 

He added that keeping those three at the center of his life means “you can cut the noise out around that, however that noise might present itself.”

That thinking has led him to a major idea, creating a venue right near his Suffolk home where he could perform a long-term residency. 

It would allow him to keep performing live without spending months away. 

“I looked into the idea of building a venue in my hometown and doing a residency there,” he said. 

“That then cuts out the travel and being away from my family. I’ve built a studio nearby that I can use. I feel that’s the model you can adopt.”

It’s easy to understand why he’s ready to slow down the global touring pace. 

His recent Mathematics Tour included 188 shows on five continents, entertaining 8.8 million fans between April 2022 and September this year. 

That run alone brought in £655.8million, after his Divide Tour from 2017 to 2019 made £581.3million.

Still, Sheeran isn’t saying goodbye to the road just yet. 

Fans worldwide can expect at least one more huge tour linked to his latest album, Play. 

On the Awards Chatter podcast, he admitted, “I’ve got one more big tour in me before settling down for school years. That’s the model I think I want to adopt. I do feel like my life gets quite cluttered. I commit to lots of things and I end up doing quite a lot.”

For now, Sheeran is clearly focused on finding a balance, enough music for the fans, and enough time at home for the moments that matter most.