Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour has been declared as the highest grossing tour of all time, overtaking U2’s eight year long record of $735m, (£607m), to $736m. Though the record has been beaten by a small margin at this time, Ed still has another twelve dates still to play. The tour started way back in March 2017, and by the end of it’s run would have consisted of 255 shows, concluding with four shows in the UK in Ed’s hometown of Ipswich at the end of August. Back in 2011, U2 set the record for the highest grossing tour with their 110 date event, 360°.
Speaking to Pollstar, Stuart Camp, Ed’s manager, said. “What Ed has accomplished is truly incredible, I thought we might have a shot at having the highest attendance record but not the highest grossing tour”.
Speaking about U2 and the record the Dublin based band had once set, Camp said. “I’m not putting us at that level because they’ve obviously maintained their career for much longer, but to even be in the same ballpark as them or spoken in the same sentence with a touring act like that is very humbling.”
The tour, named after Sheeran’s third album has gained another feat, now officially the most attended tour of all time, with in excess of 8 million people from 43 countries attending Ed’s shows, with an attendance averaging at 34,541 people. This record also beats U2’s own, set at 7.3 million.
Away from the touring scene, the Suffolk singer recently released his latest album, ‘No 6. Collaborations Project’, featuring artists including 50 Cent, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Cardi B. Two singles lifted from his fourth musical effort, ‘Beautiful People’, (his Khalid collaboration), and ‘I Don’t Care’ featuring Justin Bieber, are currently sitting at number two and three on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 respectively.
The ‘A Team’ singer posted through his Instagram, “Thanks so much for each and every one of you who have come to a show. 12 shows left, will never forget it”. According to the Official Albums Chart Top 100, the singer’s fourth album still remains at number one, marking it’s third week on the top spot.
