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Paul Bird
About 40,000 fans attended on each of the four nights at Chantry Park
Ed Sheeran used his final show of a record-breaking tour to hint at a change of direction.
The singer-songwriter wrapped up the 260-gig Divide tour with four homecoming gigs in Ipswich.
He is famed for using a loop pedal during performances – allowing him to record his guitar for a backing track and then play more guitar over it.
Closing the final night at Chantry Park, he told fans “this might be the last loop pedal gig”.
The two-and-a-half-year world tour has rewritten the money-making record books.
It is the most-attended and highest-grossing tour of all time, having been seen by 7.5m people and raised revenues of more than £666m.
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Paul Bird
Ed Sheeran hinted it might be the “last loop pedal gig”
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Paul Bird
The Darkness, from Lowestoft in Suffolk, supported Sheeran on each of the four nights in Ipswich
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Ed Goddard/BBC
Sheeran in his Framlingham Town and Ipswich Town football shirts, and pictured with BBC Introducing in Suffolk’s Richard Haugh and Angelle Joseph
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Geoff Robinson Photography
Ipswich enjoyed glorious weather for its largest-ever series of concerts
During the final night, the 28-year-old donned a Framlingham Town football shirt, in honour of the club from the Suffolk town where he grew up.
On the previous three nights, he wore his own branded Ipswich Town shirt.
As he waved goodbye to the crowd on Monday, he told them “see you in two years”.
Sheeran wore a specially-designed Ipswich Town football shirt on three of the nights
Over the four days, about 160,000 fans basked in the hot and sunny weather in the park in south Ipswich.
Sheeran was supported by The Darkness each night, while Passenger performed on the first two nights and Lewis Capaldi took to the stage for the final two nights.
Four local acts, three chosen by BBC Introducing in Suffolk and one by clothing company Hoax, opened the gigs. They were Bessie Turner, Piers James, Salvador and Caswell.
Salvador were one of the four local acts who opened the homecoming gigs
On the penultimate night, the singer was joined on stage by rapper Stormzy, with whom he has just released the single Take Me Back to London.
The Divide tour began in Europe in 2017 and has taken in North and South America, Africa, Australasia and Asia.
It beat the previous highest-grossing tour, U2’s 360 Degrees Tour, which made £450m from its 110 shows between 2009 and 2011.