Updated 9am

Demand for tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert in Ta' Qali momentarily overwhelmed an online payment gateway on Friday, with organisers describing the response as "phenomenal". 

Concert organisers said demand for tickets topped that of "any other event organised in Malta so far". 

An hour into sales, users ran into problems when purchasing their online tickets. Organisers said that the system's payment gateway had crashed but was back up and running after five minutes. 

Some eager fans reported spending well over an hour within the online system to purchase tickets, undeterred by the long waits or costly tickets. 

But while thousands queued online to buy tickets for Ed Sheeran's June 2024 concert, a number of others questioned the prices being charged.

Ticket prices are higher than in many other European venues that Sheeran is performing at as part of his ongoing global ‘Mathematics tour’, they noted. 

Standing tickets for the Ta' Qali concert are priced between €100 and €150, with seated tickets selling at €200 and €250. Those prices do not include booking fees. Sales are limited to six tickets per customer. 

"Standing tickets for €100? Saw him for €65 in Bulgaria and didn't have to wait 30 minutes in a queue to get a ticket," one fan posted on social media.

Another wrote: "I love Ed Sheeran and I had the chance to buy tickets earlier today but I didn't. €430 for two tickets is madness."

The singer-songwriter, best known for the hits Shape of You, Castle on the Hill, and Bad Habits will be visiting 15 countries and performing in 20 concerts during his European tour in 2024. 

How much does a ticket cost in other countries? 

Times of Malta scanned different ticketing websites. 

A ticket at Sheeran’s concert in Tenerife’s Santa Cruz football stadium can cost you €69 (marked red and blue on the stadium map).

A seated ticket on the side stand is priced at €79, and a general admission standing ticket goes for €89.

Tickets for Sheeran’s show in Budapest, Hungary, are also on the cheaper side.

The July 20 concert will take place at the Puskás Aréna, the football stadium with a seating capacity of 67,000.

While the cheapest tickets cost €66, fans will be seated at the very back of Hungary’s biggest multi-use stadium.

Sitting in the middle of the second row in the stadium will cost fans €132, the most expensive tickets for the concert.

Ticket prices in Cyprus, another popular Mediterranean island, are similar to that of Malta, with tickets for the arena standing costing €115. 

Fans pay €145 for standing tickets at the tiered terrace, and ‘grandstanding seats’ which are on an elevated platform, are valued at €180.

Sheeran's first performance in Europe will kick off in the Tuscan town of Lucca, where he will perform on June 8 and 9.

A standing ticket in Section B (further away from the stage) is priced at €89.70, while tickets for another section are priced at €115.

According to the ticket management website, the €130 tickets for 'Gradinata Laterale' (Steps on the side) are sold out.

Standing tickets for Sheeran’s concert at the Darius and Girėnas football stadium in Lithuania start at €86, yet similar to Budapest sitting arrangements, such cheap tickets are allocated for areas furthest away from the stage. 

Other standing tickets vary between €100 and €250.

Sheeran is also set to perform in a number of music festivals throughout the summer, including Germany, Portugal and Norway. 

While such ticket prices are more expensive, (varying between €239-€374) they include entry to a 3/4 day festival and not just Sheeran's performance. 

Sources in the entertainment industry told Times of Malta that the Maltese concert tickets reflect two factors - the 'base price' of the artist and the size of the venue.

They said all A-list artists have a base price, regardless if they play in front of a crowd of 10 or 10,000.

Another factor is the size of the venue. While other European venues can hold around 80,000 people, Ta’ Qali can hold 30,000 people at maximum capacity. 

The sources said that while there are "small" changes in prices when compared to other concerts, most prices are in line with foreign markets.

The event is organised by AEG Presents, Greatt, and NnG Promotions in partnership with One Fiinix Live and supported by VisitMalta and the Ministry for Tourism.