Imagine this. 7.30pm. Sat in the kitchen eating dinner, spinach and ricotta cannelloni to be precise, and your phone buzzes. “I’ve got 2 free tickets to see Ed Sheeran tonight at the O2. Do you want them?” Apart from the minor detail that the concert starts at 8 and you’re 40 minutes away, what is your response? … YES, OBVIOUSLY!
So ignore the chronic indigestion you’ve got from eating your food so fast, ring a taxi to arrive ASAP, and throw on the first outfit in sight. Ed Sheeran, we’re coming for you!
Minus the light drizzle and desperate attempt to run up an escalator, we made it to our seats half way through the first song. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that might be a new record for all females across the world.
“Promise me one thing, London. By the end of this concert, you won’t have a voice,” he beckoned to the crowd, quickly followed by a roaring, screaming response from 20,000 people. That’s the easiest way to say yes when you’re in that kind of environment, as I’m sure you’ll probably know.
“See the flames inside my eyes, it burns so bright I wanna’ feel your love.” And whether he was feeling the love or not, we certainly were. It is easy to question whether one guy, who looks largely similar to Ron Weasley, can stand on a stage with none other than a guitar, a microphone and a loop pedal and entertain a crowd of thousands. But he wouldn’t be Ed Sheeran if he couldn’t.
‘Thinking Out Loud’, the most recent and well-known song from his new album, blew the roof of the arena, previously known to many as the Millennium Dome. “I’m thinking ‘bout how, people fall in love in mysterious ways.” Imagine hearing this, live, surrounded by a sea of lights covering every inch of the arena. Priceless.
He certainly lived up to his promise of entertainment with a 17-song set list, filling up the dome with his one-man band stylings. Never short of a trick up the sleeve of his checked shirt, Sheeran added even more to each and every song that he performed. It shows a raw talent to be able to perform to such exquisite levels with a stand-alone set. If you don’t include the large screens behind him, all of Ed’s gear could quite easily fit into a van, along with his stage manager/guitar swapper, Trevor, who he willingly introduced to us during his second of third appearance onto the stage. “Let’s hear it for Trevor,” he yelled, followed by another 20,000-fan strong scream in response.
“Cos with the lyrics I’ll be aiming it right, I won’t stop ‘til my names in lights.” And he certainly didn’t stop anytime soon. The fiery-haired star treated his fans to a 105 minute set, including an astonishing encore made up of 3 of Ed’s most well-known songs; ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’, ‘The A Team’ and ‘Sing’.
“I want you to walk out of this arena and still be singing. I want you to get in your car, on your train or in your taxi, and still be singing. I want you to get home and still be singing. I want you to go to sleep and still be singing. I want you to wake up in the morning and still be singing. Don’t ever stop singing, okay?” And if his success is a result of this saying, then what a way to end. He has the crowd constantly wrapped around his little finger. So we will not stop singing, Ed. We promise!
Ed’s Complete Set List
- I’m a Mess
- Lego House
- Don’t (compiled with Loyal & No Diggity)
- Drunk
- Take it Back
- One
- Bloodstream
- Tenerife Sea
- Runaway
- Gold Rush
- Kiss Me
- Thinking Out Loud
- Give Me Love
- I See Fire
Encore
- You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
- The A Team
- Sing
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