60,000 people, and Cardiff’s rain, arrived at the Principality Stadium for the opening night of Ed Sheeran’s three-night run. Supported by Dylan and Maisie Peters, he played a two-hour set with the intention of playing “as many songs that people know as possible.” On this tour, he brings together all his albums, playing a selection of songs depending on what felt right on the night.
It has been four years since Sheeran last played the Principality on his Divide tour, but this time he brought with him new staging, fireworks, and most surprisingly a band. Ed Sheeran is famously a one-man band, with just his guitar, and his loop pedal joining him on stage. However, he explained he was persuaded by his musical director to bring a band on tour, as the No.6 Collaborations album sounds like “wet farts” without a full band, according to the singer.
His set started with the circular screen rising from the revolving stage, revealing Sheeran in a Cardiff jumper with his guitar. He started off with ‘Tides’, leading into ‘Blow’ with rainbow flares and fire cannons lighting up the stage, starting the show with a literal bang.
He then talked the crowd through his creative process and how he used the loop pedal. Everything he played was created live through the loop pedal, with no backing tracks involved. These explanations and anecdotes throughout made this concert a personal experience, as Sheeran recounted his musical journey until now. Seeing Ed Sheeran is not like seeing a singer, he’s the ultimate musician.
Later on his band joined him — though on their separate, smaller stages — for a mash-up of ‘Own It’, ‘Peru’, ‘Beautiful People’ and ‘I Don’t Care’, creating an electric atmosphere in the vast stadium. This was followed by his recent single ‘Overpass Graffiti’ and his Irish jig anthem, ‘Galway Girl’, accompanied by Tina from Maisie Peters’ band on violin.
Sheeran then announced that it was time for the crowd to lose their voices by singing along to the rest of his set. He started with ‘Thinking Out Loud’ and a cover of Justin Bieber’s ‘Love Yourself’, which Sheeran wrote for the singer. He then brought the energy back after the tears of emotional songs and everyone was on their feet for ‘Sing’. He really controlled the audience for the last chorus, starting quietly then building up the volume and the tension.
Although the song that truly built up the pressure and atmosphere in the stadium was ‘Bloodstream’. This is the loop pedal song. He layered the sounds of various instruments and vocals, building the noise to an unbelievable level by the end of the track. The rain had been relentless for the two hours, but for this song it was the perfect special effect, adding to the drama.
He made his exit after ‘Afterglow’, but we all know that’s not it. Sheeran returned having changed into a Welsh rugby shirt and bringing out the top tracks. He started with ‘Shape of You’, which got everyone up and dancing once again. Then, his penultimate song was ‘Bad Habits’, and the final track was ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’, which was one of Sheeran’s earliest loop pedal tracks. This song was the perfect ending, bringing together all of his talents in one song: musical ability, beatboxing, rapping, singing, and working a crowd.
The final note was marked with a Bonfire Night-worthy fireworks display that would have been seen and heard across the capital city, a great ending to an incredible show. After playing Cardiff for 13 years, the Principality Stadium is a stark contrast to the student houses Sheeran played before, but definitely looked at home here.
Words by Megan Gaen
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