Ed Sheeran wowed the packed crowd at Croke Park on Saturday night while kicking off his world tour at the Dublin stadium, with fans saying it was "incredible" and an "unforgettable concert experience".
It was the first full-capacity gig in the stadium since 2019 and the singer-songwriter didn't disappoint.
Sheeran, who will also play the iconic venue on Sunday night, took to his Instagram stories following the concert, telling his 37 million followers it was "probably one of my favourite shows I've every played".
"Thank you so much Dublin," he added.
Following this weekend's Croke Park gigs, Sheeran will continue his tour in Cork, Limerick and Belfast over the coming weeks.
The Irish shows, the first of a three-year world tour, are being played "in the round", on a stage that has been specially designed to have no blind spots for the audience.
Sheeran has upped the game with the staging for these concerts. The rotating stage offers 360 degree views of the action, while he has also brought on board a band to accompany him. The addition of pyrotechnics made for an even more dramatic effect.
Speaking to the 80,000 plus revellers at Croke Park, Sheeran said he "forgot how mental an Irish crowd could be".
The English hitmaker added: "Nothing beats Saturday night in Croker does it?"
Sports commentator Marty Morrissey was among those singing Sheeran's praises following the concert, tweeting: "The show has spectacular effects but ultimately it's a guy on his own with a guitar.
"What a great talent. Fair play to him, Love his songs & love his Show tonight. Great night in Croke Park."
Ed Sheeran is some oerformer.The show has spectacular effects but ultimately it's a guy on his own with a guitar. What a great talent. Fair play to him, Love his songs & love his Show tonight. Great night in Croke Park @officialgaa @EdSheeran_EU @RTEsport pic.twitter.com/4NJfrZogn2
— Marty Morrissey (@MartyM_RTE) April 23, 2022
Fans said he was "actually incredible" and "wasn't messing around" for the launch of his tour in Dublin.
Ed Sheeran was actually INCREDIBLE tonight in Dublin pic.twitter.com/qbB5FNbTdm
— Derv (@thisisderv) April 24, 2022
🔥 @edsheeran wasn't messing around for the launch of his tour in Dublin tonight! #edsheerandublin pic.twitter.com/Q7rlBEXSlt
— Emma Dickson (@EmmaDickson93) April 23, 2022
Thank you so much Ed Sheeran for this unforgettable concert experience 😭❤️ Thank you for choosing Dublin as your first stop in your +-= ÷x world tour! I know Dublin holds a special place in your heart which just made this concert so much more meaningful 🥺 I LOVE YOU! 😭❤️ pic.twitter.com/PA635MhQJs
— gracefully_seth 👑 (@gracefully_seth) April 24, 2022
Another concert goer tweeted that Sheeran was the "king of Ireland" following the epic performance.
@edsheeran king of dublin?? king of ireland?? YES #edsheeran #mathematicstour #crokepark pic.twitter.com/5VD4IVgFcW
— nicole⁷ (@_xswiftlyirish) April 23, 2022
Unsurprisingly, the singer's rendition of Galway Girl went down a treat with the crowd who sang along every word with him.
☘️@edsheeran singing Galway Girl live in Dublin with 82,500 fans #EdSheeran #Galwaygirl pic.twitter.com/OUyr6g9QeH
— Emma Dickson (@EmmaDickson93) April 23, 2022
Thinking Out Loud was another big hit with the Dublin audience.
Thinking out loud #EdSheeran #CrokePark Dublin 🇮🇪 tonight for the opening leg of his tour pic.twitter.com/nkjn7MRfVO
— Tom Flynn (@tomflynn_photo) April 23, 2022
