The 28-year-old singer called the end of his 'Divide' tour 'bittersweet.'
Ed Sheeran is getting ready to take a break.
At the final show of his Divide tour on Monday, the 28-year-old singer revealed that he planned to take a break from music for a while. According to The Sun, Sheeran told the crowd in Ipswich, England, that it would be his "last gig for probably 18 months."
"As you may or may not know, I’ve been on the Divide tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing," he reportedly told the crowd of his tour, which kicked off in Italy back in March 2017. "There is something very bittersweet about it. I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich. This is my last gig for probably 18 months."
He went on to detail his massive tour, during which, he said, he played in front of nine million people. According to Pollstar, his Divide tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, reaching a staggering overall gross of $775.6 million from 8.9 million tickets sold on six continents.
"We’ve played all around the world. Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium. All these amazing venues, America, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, South America — it’s been a wild one," he said, according to the outlet. "I was told before I came on that now at the end of this tour I’ve played to nine million people around the world. It is the biggest tour ever."
"It’s been an emotional day for a lot of people backstage. It kind of feels like, in a weird way, that you’re breaking up with a girlfriend that you’ve been with for years," he added. "It sounds odd but it has been a long tour."
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Sheeran reflected on the massive tour.
"9 million people, 893 days, 46 countries, 175 cities, 260 shows, 268 touring crew, 193265 miles traveled, 2 broken arms, 3 marriages, 4 babies. What a wild ride this Divide tour has been," he wrote alongside pics of his tour crew. "The whole process of writing the album starting in 2015, then recording it in 2016, promoting it, setting out on the road to play it for all of you guys. It’s so weird to put it to bed and move on."
"Thank you to everyone involved in this whole Divide process, all the people who helped make the album, all the people who helped promote the album, all the fans who listened and came to watch, this wouldn’t be possible without you," he continued. "Most of all I want to thank my fantastic touring team, who have given up their lives for 2 and a half years to help me achieve my dreams. Thank you for all of your hard work and constant friendship."
"The Divide tour - 2017 -2019," he concluded. "Officially the biggest tour of all time, so weird to say that, and we survived it!"
Additionally, in a post to his Instagram Story on Wednesday, Sheeran assured his fans that his break from music would be temporary.
"I'm not bloody retiring either, press are being over dramatic," Sheeran, who confirmed in July that he and Cherry Seaborn had tied the knot, wrote. "I'm having 18 months off to make another album and hang out with my cats."
Watch the video below for more on Sheeran.
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