《TAIPEI TIMES》 Sheeran concert sets new Kaohsiung stadium record
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, center, poses with fans in Kaohsiung on Friday. Photo provided by Mark Surridge via Warner Music
/ Staff writer, with CNA
More than 94,000 people on Saturday night flocked to Kaohsiung National Stadium to watch British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran perform, setting a new attendance record for the 15-year-old venue.
The figure — which includes fans inside and outside the 55,000-seat stadium — was released by the Kaohsiung Transportation Bureau, which set up a command center to manage crowds at the event.
Ninety minutes after the concert ended at 10:19pm, authorities finished crowd dispersal at 11:49pm, the bureau said yesterday in a news release.
More than 270,000 people took the Kaohsiung Metro on Saturday, with times between trains shortened to three minutes in the hours before and after the concert, it said.
The Kaohsiung City Government also arranged 40 shuttle buses to take concertgoers back to Kaohsiung’s train and high-speed rail stations, the bureau said.
Sheeran was in Taiwan as part of his ongoing “Mathematics Tour” to promote his sixth and seventh albums, “?” (also known as Subtract) and Autumn Variations, both released last year, organizers Kuang Hong Arts said.
After arriving on Thursday, Sheeran spent some time sightseeing around Kaohsiung and posting Instagram stories of the places he visited, including the Pier-2 Art Center and the inflatable yellow ducks at Love River Bay.
The official attendance at Sheeran’s show — 94,646 — exceeded that of previous major acts including the South Korean pop band Blackpink and British rock band Coldplay, the latter of which set the stadium’s previous attendance record of 86,505 in November last year.
新聞來源:TAIPEI TIMES
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performs during a concert at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Saturday. Photo courtesy of a reader