So many concerts and events nowadays are based on the ‘wow’ factor of pyrotechnics, costume changes, and complex choreography, which have their place and time, but certainly not at an Ed Sheeran concert. He stands alone on a stage, sure, with a carousel-like arrangement of screens behind him. Other than that it is literally just him, his guitar, and a loop pedal, a production device used to layer vocals and chords instantly to create real time tracks, also his trademark.
As part of his Divide U.S. tour, Ed Sheeran played TD Garden this past Friday and Saturday night, Sept. 22 and 23, and I had the honor of seeing him for the third time on Friday. On the same day, he announced an upcoming tour and sale dates for his 2018 stadium tour, where he’ll be coming to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Sept. 15, 2018, and where you’ll be sure to see me.
Photo by Tomasik.
James Blunt opened with several new songs from his upcoming album, and of course his famous hit, “You’re Beautiful”, which he joked “many of you were conceived to.” Along with this he did a great cover of the brand new EDM track “OK” by Robin Shulzi.
Sheeran arrived punctually on stage and immediately launched into his setlist which included a fantastic mix of his singles from “Divide,” like “Photograph” and “Castle on The Hill”, as well as older classics, such as “A Team”, and “Thinking Out Loud.” What’s interesting is that there are absolutely no backing tracks played at his concerts, as he seamlessly creates all the music he needs using the loop pedal. This also allows him to take his time layering tracks for basic background vocals and building emotion for bridges, which he runs with, showing off his incredible vocal range and beating on his guitar for extra percussion.
Also included were mashups of his own songs, a collaboration with one of his crew members who is also a wonderful pianist, and an extended version of a personal favorite that he always closes with, “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You,” which arguably encompases his entire philosophy as an artist.
One of the main reasons Ed Sheeran is undoubtedly my favorite artist of all time, and unquestionably my favorite to see live, is because of the incredible emphasis he puts on his music above all else, not his image or his personal life, both of which he intentionally keeps very low-key. His talent is raw and his shows are incredibly intimate, even in an arena of 15,000 people, because of the unique anecdotes and the backgrounds of songs you only hear about at concerts.
His concerts are always my favorites to go to, and I recommend anyone who even remotely likes him or his music to see him because he is incredible.