Ed Sheeran in concert: Holy shit someone came to Perth?
By Brittany Asplin
Sheeran’s second show at the new stadium; how did the new stadium measure up?
In the few months of the Optus Stadium being open, there has already been much debate over the new stadium, the controversial ‘public transport only’ route with no Ubers or any private cars asides from the expensive taxis; the overpriced food and drinks menu, and the delays of getting out of the stadium after a show or game. With this article I hope to answer all these questions for you.
A lot of the public felt a bit shafted after learning that the easiest way to get to the stadium is by train. I know, I was one of them. I had a drop off pick up plan with my parents and everything for the Ed Sheeran’s concert. However, my boyfriend and I worked out the easiest way to get there was the new train shuttle that goes straight to the Optus Stadium from Perth Station. And it was very simple, there was no real problem, our tickets for the concert included the public transport cost. The only real downside was the stairs. And there are a lot of them. Going into the station off the platforms, getting out of the station and the same for going home. Yes there were elevators but unless you wanted to wait or were an invalid you would have no choice but to take the stairs. But that is really the only down side to the public transport; everyone was polite, patient getting on and off the trains and it was a quick ride from the stadium.
Now the cost of drinks and food. For a bottle of water and a mid-strength beer it amounted to $14. For any uni student that alone is expensive. Although it costs as much as you would pay at the pub. A full pint of beer costs at least $10. Food is also pretty expensive at the stadium, for a Mrs Mac’s pie and large chips costing $11.20. But it seems like prices for food and drinks compared to other stadiums. See the link attached for more information on food and drinks costs and what they offer at the stadium:
https://optusstadium.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Optus-Stadium-Fact-Sheet-2.pdf
Concert time! All the lights went dark and this tiny red headed ant popped up on the stage! Yeah we had seats up in the heavens (level 5), but why didn’t the stadium use the big screens? If they just used the big screens behind the small stage setup then at least fans way up the back could see. However, we had a great time; Ed had an amazing voice and the songs he played ranged from his new album and a few of his classics. Ed looked like he was enjoying himself and wanted the crowd to enjoy themselves too; his audience interactions was good and even got people dancing in the aisles of the stadium. There was talk by some fans on social media that it was a little hard to hear Ed when he was talking to the crowd, which was true. Although from where I was sitting drinking my beer I still could hear eighty five percent of what he was saying, and I am pretty sure other fans got the gist. There was a magical moment when all the lights went out during A Team and everyone turned on their phone flashlights. It looked like twinkling stars across the stadium.
Even though the stage they had setup was small compared to the massive stadium, and at times it was difficult to hear him talk, and yes it did take a while to get home; it was a great night out! The music was good, everyone was having fun and singing along. Even on the train home people were singing together. It was a great night out and I’ll be looking out for tickets next time he comes back.