195,000 spectators: inside in three days and XL traffic chaos: that was Ed Sheeran in Düsseldorf.
With his concerts in Düsseldorf in early September, Ed Sheeran set several records for the Merkur Spiel-Arena. He appeared in the state capital on September 5th, 6th and 7th for the final of its global “Mathematics” tour.
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The biggest concert event in the history of the arena
Around 195,000 visitors: inside came to the three shows. There, the British pop artist cracked three records: As “Stadionwelt” reported, there have never been more spectators before: at a single concert in the Merkur Spiel-Arena. In addition, with these three concert evenings, the Düsseldorf Arena recorded the highest overall visitors: indoor number, which it each achieved on a tour of a single artist. And thirdly, the three gigs used the full capacity of the Merkur Spiel-Arena for the first time by presenting Ed Sheeran his music on a 360-degree stage.
Visitors: Inner chaos and overloaded infrastructure
The crowd of mass in Düsseldorf also caused chaotic conditions in North Rhine-Westphalia: As the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reported, visitors led: Interior currents on the infrastructure. Since the “Caravan Salon” fair took place at the same time, there was a dramatic traffic situation with long traffic jams, chaos in the parking lots and stuck shuttle buses in Düsseldorf.
Beer for seven euros?
According to the local newspaper, numerous fans only reached the stadium far after the concert started and expressed their resentment on social networks. The beer price of seven euros for 0.5 liters, which is above the football games of Fortuna Düsseldorf (5.50 euros), was also noted.
The “Rheinische Post” reported long footpaths for fans, but also referred to the security mandate of the arena leaves. Laura Becker, General Manager of the Arena, explained that equalization of the masses was necessary for security reasons. The security planning for the concert evenings was successful.
Two new albums in the
The new album Play by Ed Sheeran will be released on September 12th. As part of this, the UK artist has also announced other live appointments that lead him to Munich on December 3, 2025. There is also another new album. According to Sheeran, Rewind was produced at the same time as Play and is scheduled to appear in the next 18 months.