Ed Sheeran Had Some Surprises For Toronto This Weekend & Shawn Mendes Even Showed Up (VIDEO)
Ed Sheeran made the most of his time in Toronto, hitting up Taste of Little Italy and even bringing Shawn Mendes out on stage.
The international star came through Toronto for three stops on his Mathematics Tour, which encompasses older albums and his latest release, Subtract, and the singer brought so much love for Canada with him.
Sheeran started his Canadian weekend at History in Toronto on June 16, where he warmed up with a more intimate crowd and then played two shows at the Rogers Centre on June 17 and June 18.
On Saturday, the star brought out a special Canadian surprise for his fans – Toronto's very own singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes.
Mendes and Sheeran surprised fans with two songs — Sheeran's "Lego House" and Mendes's song "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back."
The two vocal powerhouses seamlessly duetted their popular songs, and the crowd went wild over the collab and return of Mendes, who hasn't graced a live stage in over a year after cancelling his tour in 2022 due to his mental health.
In a shared Instagram post, Mendes said he was "speechless" following their gig.
Sheeran said he's only had that type of crowd reaction after bringing a guest on stage three times in his career.
"What a reaction I've had that three times in my life at gigs. Paolo Nutini in Glasglow, Stormzy in London and now Shawn Mendes," he said.
Mendes smiled and said, "That's Toronto."
Given that Mendes hasn't been performing recently, fans were touched by the collaboration.
"Ed, thank you for bringing him back, that was very important," reads a comment on their post.
The pop star also dawned a Toronto Blue Jays jersey at the Rogers Centre, paying homage to the city's team and in an Instagram story, Sheeran said he "bloody loves Canada."
@getouttamyfacee not the jays jersey #edsheeran #mathematics #toronto #bluejays
Sheeran didn't stop showing Canada love there. On Sunday, the singer made an appearance at the Taste of Little Italy, where he took photos with fans and handed out his blue Monster Plushie, which was featured in his "Eyes Closed" music video.
Melanie Marcus, who had previously designed custom airbrush hats for Sheeran in 2018, spotted him by the soccer net at the festival.
"He ordered this specific red panda hat that he loved in 2018. I had replicated the same hat along with hats for his wife and kids and gave them to him when I was at the History venue on Friday. He loved them and remembered the panda hat. So when I was [at] Taste of Italy, he remembered me, and we took a pic," Marcus told Narcity.
Marcus said Sheeran was very sweet and humble and "doesn't take his fans for granted."
"He gave me these stuffed animals and actually two tickets for his show."
Chrystia Freeland, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, also shared a photo of Sheeran at the Taste of Little Italy festival in an Instagram post, calling him a "special guest."
Sheeran's next Canadian stop is in Vancouver on September 1, 2023, according to his website, so fans will just have to wait until then to see the icon on Canadian soil again.
