Ed Sheeran kicked off his LOOP World Stadium Tour in January 2025 at Go Media Stadium, marking the start of a global run initially covering Oceania, South America, and North America. The ambition was clear: deliver an end-on stadium experience that felt expansive, visually clean, and intimately connected to fans.
Once again, Wonder Works was appointed as Technical Design & Co-ordination lead, turning Mark Cunniffe’s brief into a touring reality. The key challenge was bridging the main stage and a secondary B-stage without the traditional runway. Wonder Works designed a 120-foot (36-meter) retractable cantilever bridge, allowing Ed to traverse the audience without dividing it. Similar to fire truck ladder mechanics and inspired by the Rolling Stones’ 1997 bridge, the structure comprises seven sections – constructed from a combination of steel and aluminum to balance strength with weight optimisation. The bridge and stage lift systems were fabricated by Show Canada, delivering a robust yet tourable solution.
The tour’s video and visual design was equally ambitious. Wonder Works designed the giant curved LED screen – reportedly New Zealand’s largest – with hidden rigging to create an infinity top edge and integrated lighting. Twenty Three engineered the LED screen frames and wind bracing, while Colonel Tom delivered the video systems, enabling dynamic live camera integration across the screen canvas and a raising/lowering video floor. Key innovations included the Nimbus circular light ring in the centre of the screen, replacing the “halo” concept from Mathematics, and four brushed aluminum gondolas, custom made by The Next Stage, which concealed cantilever trusses while doubling as audience blinders and lighting positions.
To support the ambitious design, WowAxis custom fabricated essential touring components such as audio wind bracing, gondola rigging beams, hoist dollies, and LED stage decks. Each piece was engineered to streamline installation, reduce work at height, and maintain structural integrity, contributing to a production that was both visually striking and safe to deploy across multiple stadiums.
The result is a show that balances spectacle and intimacy, allowing fans to feel connected to Ed from every corner of the stadium. Jeremy Lloyd, Co-Director at Wonder Works, commented:
“The brief was ambitious – creating a clean, expansive aesthetic while moving Ed safely across the audience. Every technical solution, from bridge engineering to video integration, was designed to serve that experience.”
Creative Director – Mark Cunniffe, Production Director – Chris Marsh, Production Manager – Helen Himmons, Stage Manager – Matt Caley, Site Managers – Ben Johnstone & Harry Ford, Technical Design and Coordination – Wonder Works, Audio System Tech – Adam Wells, Video System Design – Phil Mead, Steel System Supplier – European Staging, Bridge and Stage Lift Fabrication – Show Canada, LED frames and Wind Bracing – Twenty Three, Gondola Fabrication – The Next Stage, Custom Fabrication – WowAxis, Audio and Rigging Supplier – Major Tom Touring, Video Supplier – Colonel Tom Touring, Lighting Supplier – LCR, SFX Supplier – Pains Fireworks
