Ed Sheeran concert brings people from across the nation to Pittsburgh, boosts local business

PITTSBURGH — Thousands of people filled the streets near Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore to see Ed Sheeran perform.

PHOTOS: Ed Sheeran visits Pittsburgh during ‘Mathematics Tour’

“This will be my first concert,” said 18-year-old Jeremiah Thomas, who drove to Pittsburgh from Paden City, W.V. with his coach and two friends. “I think it’ll be a great experience. I’m looking forward to it a lot.”

Renea DeVaughn’s children and grandchildren came in from up and down the East coast surprising her on her 75th birthday with tickets to see the Grammy winner.

“I like his music,” said DeVaughn of Penn Hills.

DeVaughn’s daughter Darlene Jackson flew in from Atlanta, Ga. for the surprise.

“I love him too but she loves him even more, so when we decided to come, I had to listen to his music to get familiar with it and I love it,” Jackson said.

DeVaughn wasn’t the only one to get a huge surprise.

Earlier in the day during the lunch rush, the mega pop star made a pit stop at Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse in Crafton. Sheeran was serving up slices to starstruck fans.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> Ed Sheeran hands out pizza to Crafton residents before concert in Pittsburgh

PHOTOS >>> Ed Sheeran hands out pizza to Crafton residents before concert in Pittsburgh

“Oh my gosh, he’s right there!” yelled fan Kallie Netherton. “I’m going to the show tonight, and we heard he was going to be here so we rushed here. We came from Cincinnati, so we rushed here to be here to see him and then he handed me a pizza and I freaked out. I just cannot believe it.”

Sheeran also gave away 100 concert tickets to his show Saturday.

Brittany Shane of Robinson Township snagged a pair of tickets hidden in the pizza box Sheeran gave her.

“He was so nice,” Shane said. “He was just giving out to everybody. There were hundreds of people so excited. The fact that he does this for his fans and wants to get down there, that’s why everybody loves him so much.”

Back on the North Shore, businesses, including Southern Tier Brewing Co. are seeing sales add up, thanks to Sheeran’s ‘Mathematics Tour.’

“It’s very lively. People are having a great time right now,” said Nick Hurst, the front-of-house manager at Southern Tier Brewing Co.

Southern Tier Brewing Co. Host and Server Assistant Rachel Westley said wait times for tables were about two hours.

“At the peak of it, our wait list was almost 60 people, so there was definitely a huge influx of people coming in than what we’d normally see on a Saturday,” she said.

Hurst said they’re prepared.

“We’re staffed all the way up,” he said. “We had extra trucks come in from Lakewood, from all of our other vendors. We’re here. We’re ready. We’re fully stocked.”

While the ‘Perfect’ singer-songwriter might not see the record-breaking crowds at Acrisure as Taylor Swift did, his concert is still expected to have a big economic impact.

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