Fans from across the world have travelled to Ipswich to watch global superstar Ed Sheeran return “home” to Portman Road stadium. With 90,000 fans expected across the next three nights, fans from the US, Germany and closer to home have descended upon the town to welcome the star back to Suffolk.
Senumi Tebuwna and Reuben Librack, both 21, travelled from Brighton for the first sold-out show and visited the Suffolk town of Framlingham where Sheeran grew up, about 15 miles north of Ipswich, whose medieval castle he wrote a song about.
Tina Hoff, 58, and Linda Kennedy, 56, also arrived on Thursday night from Bournemouth.
Marlene Krueger, 22, lives in Munich in Germany and travelled on the train to Ipswich. She was right at the front of one of the queues to get inside Portman Road on Friday and will be attending all three nights.
Thomas Portway and Caitlin Brundle, both 19, came from Bury St Edmunds, in west Suffolk, and arrived on Friday lunchtime to get in the queue.
Mary Farruku, 21, lives in Ipswich and was “really excited”.
Deborah Marshal, 73, who travelled to the town from Indiana, US, said: “I came a long way because I really, really, really love Ed Sheeran.”
Morgan Summersgill, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has travelled to England for the first time to see Sheeran, both on Friday and on Sunday.
Martin Cox, 70, from London, has been a fan of Sheeran since 2010 and turned up outside Portman Road during the early hours.
Hayley Judge, from south London, claims to be the only female Ed Sheeran tribute act.
Sheeran himself is equally as excited about his huge shows this weekend – but it is not the first time he and his acoustic guitar have popped up in the town.
He performed pub gigs as he made a name for himself in venues including the Steamboat Tavern and The Swan, and he appeared at Ipswich Music Day where local acts perform at the annual free event in Christchurch Park.
After his rise to global superstardom, he played four concerts in the town’s Chantry Park in 2019.
In 2021, in the wake of Covid lockdown restrictions, he played a live-streamed gig at Portman Road with no audience present.
He also played an impromptu gig outside the town hall in 2022.
“This is the first time in my entire career that I am actually playing [in front of fans at Portman Road],” he said while talking exclusively to the BBC.
“So this is kind of like a homecoming show, which is going to be good.”
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