Ed Sheeran returned to one of his most beloved musical homes Monday night, performing an intimate secret concert in Dublin to celebrate his induction into Spotify’s prestigious “Billions Club.”
The performance, held at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) before an audience of about 2,000 of Sheeran’s “top fans,” marked a heartfelt homecoming for the British superstar, whose Irish roots and affection for the country have long been part of his story.
The event, organized by Spotify, was a special “thank you” to listeners who helped propel Sheeran to unprecedented streaming heights — becoming a 14-time member of the platform’s Billions Club, reserved for tracks surpassing one billion streams.
Sheeran, 34, appeared on stage in his trademark white T-shirt and black pants, armed with nothing more than his acoustic guitar, looping pedal, and keyboard. Over the course of 90 minutes, he took fans on a journey through his career from early acoustic hits to the stadium anthems that have defined the past decade of pop music.
He opened the show with his current single, “Sapphire,” before moving through a string of fan favorites that helped him earn his Spotify status. “Shape of You,” the first Sheeran song to hit the billion-stream milestone, prompted thunderous applause, followed by a heartfelt performance of “The A Team,” his 2010 debut single.
“That song has taken me from pubs to stadiums and been the same song the whole way,” Sheeran reflected, as the crowd cheered in agreement.
The audience — many wearing forest green caps distributed by Spotify in honor of Sheeran’s Billions Club membership sang and danced as Sheeran delivered spirited renditions of “Castle on the Hill,” “Bad Habits,” “Perfect,” and “Thinking Out Loud.”
When the opening notes of “I See Fire” his haunting contribution to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug soundtrack filled the room, the crowd fell into reverent silence. Sheeran revealed that the song had crossed the billion-stream threshold earlier this year. “That one surprised me,” he said, smiling. “It got me thinking about the process of writing again.”
Despite good-natured teasing including one Dublin cab driver’s quip calling him a “pretend Irishman” Sheeran used the occasion to emphasize his genuine Irish heritage.
“My dad, John, is from Belfast, and my mum’s family’s from County Wexford,” he told the crowd. “Ireland’s a special place for me musically. I feel this is where it all began.”
That connection came to life when he invited Irish fiddle player Niamh Dunne to join him on stage for “Galway Girl.” The two tore through the fan-favorite track to wild applause, with Sheeran joking beforehand, “I wanted to play ‘Nancy Mulligan,’ even though it hasn’t hit the B-word mark — but it will.”
The set closed on a high note with an encore of “Bad Habits” that had the floor of the venue literally shaking as fans bounced along.
Sheeran’s Dublin show marked the third installment of Spotify’s exclusive “Billions Club” live performance series, following The Weeknd’s Los Angeles showcase in December 2024 and Miley Cyrus’ concert in Paris last July.
The event was attended by select journalists, influencers, and fans from across Europe and the U.S., underscoring Spotify’s efforts to celebrate global streaming culture with live, personal experiences.
While Sheeran is set to return to his stadium-filling world tour in December — with U.S. dates beginning in June 2026 the Dublin performance provided a rare chance for the global superstar to revisit his busking roots.
Before conquering charts and stadiums, Sheeran often played impromptu sets on Dublin’s Grafton Street. On Monday night, in front of 2,000 elated fans, he came full circle a global phenomenon reconnecting with the place that first believed in him.
As he left the stage, Sheeran smiled and told the crowd, “Thank you for bringing me home.”