Piet Levy

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

If the Milwaukee Brewers head to the World Series (OK, when they head to the World Series), Ed Sheeran won't stand in the way.

The folk-pop superstar is scheduled to play the Brewers' stadium, Miller Park, on Oct. 23 — which is also when Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled to be played.

But if the Brewers win the National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sheeran's show would be bumped back a few weeks.

"If the team advances far enough into postseason play, we will announce a new November date for the Sheeran concert," said Tyler Barnes, vice president of communications for the Brewers. "That announcement would likely come sometime in mid-October."

Here's the thing: The first game of the NLCS is Friday at Miller Park. It's a best-four-out-of-seven series, and the fourth game is Oct. 16 — which, last we checked, is mid-October, and also one week to the date before Sheeran's scheduled Milwaukee show.

That's the absolute earliest we could know whether the Brewers are going to the World Series for the second time in team history. If the series stretches to the full seven games, we wouldn't know until Oct. 20.

If that were the case, based on Barnes' statement, it sounds like the Brewers would likely take the cautious approach and bump the Sheeran show back.

But here's another thing: No matter what, the first game of the World Series will not be played in Miller Park.

Major League Baseball rules dictate that the team with the better regular season record hosts the first games in the World Series. The two final teams duking it out in the American League Championship Series — the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox — both have better records than the Brewers (and the Dodgers, for that matter).

So technically, Miller Park is wide open on Oct. 23. If the Brewers do make it to the World Series, the first Miller Park game would be Oct. 26.

When Paul McCartney played Miller Park on July 13, 2013, the Brewers were playing on the home field three days later.

But it's doubtful the Brewers would want to risk any potential field damage three days before Milwaukee's first World Series game since 1982.

Plus, if the Brewers do play the World Series out of town Oct. 23, that would pose a major conflict and headaches for Milwaukee's Sheeran fans, with many expected to unload tickets on the secondhand market. Despite being near-capacity, attendance would likely take a hit — and food, beer and merch sales along with it.

So, if the Brewers win at least a couple games against the Dodgers, a November Sheeran show is looking likely.

Barnes wouldn't say when the call would specifically be made or under what conditions, or when the new show would be.

But looking at Sheeran's routing, he's hitting a U.S. stadium every two to four days, and wrapping up his run in Atlanta Nov. 9.

So, if the Miller Park gig were postponed, based on Sheeran's schedule, he'd likely come back to Milwaukee a few days after Atlanta, and play Miller Park sometime between Nov. 11 and 13, giving Sheeran and his crew plenty of time to get back to their families for Turkey Day. (Good thing the stadium roof can be closed.)

That could be tough for Sheeran's fans to swallow. But if you're among them, look at it this way: You'd be seeing the very last scheduled Sheeran concert of the greatest year of his career, when he became the top-grossing touring act in the world. He'll probably put on a Brewers jersey at some point, and at the very least, give the team some lip service.

Even if his show is a few weeks later than planned, it's bound to be a special night.

Plus, if Christian Yelich or Bob Uecker wants to dance freely to "Shape of You" without any postseason worries on their mind, they've absolutely earned that right.

JR Radcliffe contributed to this report.

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Piet Levy talks about concerts, local music and more on "TAP'd In" with Jordan Lee, 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9). Follow him on Twitter @pietlevy and on Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.