Location
Background[edit]
When announcing the tour on social media, Sheeran said, "I'm playing some smaller theatre shows in the US this summer, so I can play Subtract the entire way through with full band in an intimate setting."[2] The shows on this tour were meant to supplement his shows for the simultaneously ongoing +–=÷× Tour. The latter were staged in large stadiums and arenas, and involved songs drawn from all of Sheeran's mathematics studio albums, while, conversely, the shows on this tour focused mostly on songs from - (2023).
Because this tour was performed in smaller, more intimate venues, between songs Sheeran explained to the audience how 2022 had been a difficult year for him. He discussed the death of his close friend Jamal Edwards, and how he felt when learning that his wife Cherry Seaborn had been diagnosed with a tumour while pregnant with their second daughter.[3]