On Wednesday June 17th, Ed Sheeran took to the stage at the Saddledome, performing before a sold out crowd of 13,000. I’d been waiting for this day ever since I found out about him, which was the night of the 2012 Brit Awards where he won awards for Best British Male and British Breakthrough Act of the Year. I’d been dying to see him and was disheartened when I was told the show sold out within 1 second (Scalpers! Ugh!) and I had accepted that maybe I wouldn’t see him this time, but I would next time.
It was sometime in early May when I heard my brother hinting to my mother about a “surprise” and if he could tell me what it was. Me, being curious, asked him and he told me. Since my birthday was later that month, he had purchased tickets for me, his girlfriend , and himself to go see Ed Sheeran. I was elated to know that I’d be seeing one of my all time favorite artists in just over a month.
The day finally came and I was so excited. The three of us walked from 11th ave SW down to the Saddledome where many teenage girls were entering the arena. I was a little surprised to see as many guys there as there were, as Ed’s target audience is teenage girls, but then I should’ve suspected that of course there’d be guys bringing their girlfriends to see Sheeran.
The opening act was Rixton, a four-piece boy band from the UK. If you’ve never heard of them, you might know their hit single Me and My Broken Heart. They put on a energetic set, including a cover of Bruno Mars’ and Mark Ronson’s hit Uptown Funk, and left the stage after approximately 45 minutes. There was a short, 15 minute break and then the lights dimmed and I could feel my heart beating fast in anticipation of Ed.
Sheeran walked onto the stage and started playing Lego House, a song from his debut album. I was starstruck after dreaming of this moment for years. I was a little skeptical about the show as I don’t typically enjoy shows in big arenas as I believe the intimacy you can have with an artist at smaller venues like MacEwan Hall is lost, but I quite enjoyed the show and would definitely see him again, given the chance.
He stopped to briefly mention a complaint he received in Winnipeg where a couple commented that he played to a backing track, so he explained that the objects a few feet in front of him were looping machines and that everything the fans heard were all him. I had already known this and it’s one of the qualities I love about him. Ed Sheeran performs with an intensity I have never seen before and his music and performances are truly original. I’d seen Rihanna the last time she was in Calgary and was disappointed that she lip synched for much of the performance, but there was no lip synching with Ed. Armed with a loop-machine, his guitar, and his vocals, he gave the 13,000 fans in attendance Wednesday night an experience of a lifetime. I’d give his performance a solid 4 stars out of 5 and would highly recommend seeing him if you ever get the chance.
Be sure to watch Ed Sheeran host the MMVA’s this Sunday, June 21st!