Ed Sheeran stadium shows are on despite air quality emergency

Chris Jordan, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read
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Despite the recent air quality emergency that turned skies across the East Coast red, Ed Sheeran will still be performing at MetLife Stadium.

The Brit singer-songwriter's two shows on June 10 and 11 will proceed according to schedule, MetLife Stadium announced on Thursday.

“The concerts remain on schedule for this weekend,” the stadium said in an advisory. “We will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates as needed.”

The low-pressure system causing southerly winds to push the smoke from forest fires in Quebec down to New Jersey and much of the Northeast was forecasted to move on Saturday, said John Cristantello, lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Brookhaven, New York.

The state's air quality began improving late Thursday morning after reaching hazardous conditions Wednesday from an unprecedented amount of smoke that descended on the region from the forest fires. Pollution levels were still very high midday Thursday, and the state was under a red alert.

Ed Sheeran, shown in Cleearwater, Florida, May 19, 2023 at the first of his intimate shows to play his "Subtract" album, also played The Met in Philadelphia June 2.
Ed Sheeran, shown in Cleearwater, Florida, May 19, 2023 at the first of his intimate shows to play his "Subtract" album, also played The Met in Philadelphia June 2.

The Sheeran shows are part of the North American leg of his “+ - = ÷ x Tour,” aka “The Mathematics Tour.” Khalid and Dylan are also on the bill of the in-the-round shows. Sheeran's set runs about two hours and 15 minutes, and he usually comes on about 8 p.m.

"You'll be quite sad": Ed Sheeran's heartfelt emotions resonate at stadium, theater shows

Sheeran plans to play indoor shows inside smaller theatres as part of his national tour. “Playing theatres all summer the day before I do the big stadium shows,” he shared on social media on June 1. “I love the contrast of playing an intimate venue then playing the next day to such big crowds, variety is the spice of life and all that. See ya in a city near you this summer.”

Tickets for both shows, starting at $75 before fees, are available via Ticketmaster.

What we know: Air quality improves in US, but alerts remain due to Canadian wildfires

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ed Sheeran's stadium shows at MetLife still on despite wildfires