Sheeran’s ‘Mathematics’ show in Santa Clara adds up to near record-breaking attendance

IT TURNS OUT the biggest Bay Area concert of the summer of 2023 was not one of the American female pop powerhouses, but a British singer-songwriter wearing a plain black T-shirt and wielding mastery over a loop pedal and a guitar.

While Taylor Swift and Beyonce’s mega tours have captured the headlines and social media frenzy this summer, Ed Sheeran has been quietly breaking attendance records at those same stadiums on his “Mathematics Tour,” largely due to his in-the-round stage design that allowed a 360-degree filling of stadium seats for his two-hour show spectacular.