Sunday 21 September 2014

an evening spent with a couple of guitars and my favourite ginger

There are few people in the world that leave me speechless.

There are even fewer people who can leave me speechless for an extended period of time.

Ed Sheeran is one of those people.

Last friday I traveled down to Atlanta. It ended up taking me a bit over five hours to get from Dayton to just outside the city. I met up with my best friend Michelle and one of her roommates from college, Cristina. We collected ourselves at Cristina's house before grabbing a quick bite of dinner and making our way to the Gwinnett Centre.

It was a bit strange stepping into the arena when the last concert venue I had been to was a stadium. The size was underwhelming at first. But as it started filling up, it had a very cozy feel to it.

Ed's opening act was a group hailing from London called Rudimental. Wikipedia describes them as "liquid funk", "jungle", "soul" and even "electronica". I suppose that's a good way to describe them. They're an eclectic bunch, that's for sure. There was only one song of theirs that I recognised. I couldn't tell you the name of it, but I hear it on BBC Radio 1 every so often. It's a tune for sure.

There was a small break between sets. A stage crew came out and tore down all of Rudimental's paraphernalia. They replaced the multiple instruments, risers, and microphones with four speakers, two microphones, and one loop pedal. Needless to say, it was a simple setup.

When Ed stepped on stage, the entire arena erupted in cheers and applause. He's such a simple guy; you can tell by the way he walks. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and open flannel, he looked comfortable. With a guitar in hand, he was completely in his element. I had zero knowledge of the setlist going into the show. And I actually really enjoyed it that way. I had no way of knowing if he was going to be singing my favourite songs (which he did, just btw). I had no idea of the order in which things were going to happen. Although, I had a suspicion that Sing would be his final song. But that's just because I happen to pay attention to things.

Ed opened with I'm A Mess. Immediately I was blown away by his talent. His voice is just so pure and beautiful. Next was Lego House. It was so cute during this song because the screens behind him played this little animated bit with little Lego people and there was a Lego Ed and then also a Lego Ron Weasley. Pretty sure I smiled like an idiot when I saw that. Following Lego House was Don't. Michelle started hitting me repeatedly (and quite rapidly) when the intro started. Honestly I'm so glad he didn't censor the song while singing it. I think it allowed more emotion to come through, which I loved seeing...and hearing if I'm being honest. Drunk came next. I've pretty much always loved this song, but now I can appreciate it since I've actually been under the influence of quite a bit of alcohol before. Needless to say I was jamming to that one. The next song basically blew me away. I've know Ed has the ability to rap, and I've heard him rap before on album tracks, especially on the new album. But that didn't prepare me to actually hear him rap live. Take It Back is just so catchy and wonderful and even more amazing live. I think I got part of it on video. After that Ed played One. His vocals were stellar. Absolutely phenomenal. The next song was one he wrote with the guys of Rudimental: Bloodstream. I don't remember much of this one, which is unfortunate because it's a lovely record. Tenerife Sea was next. This song is just so beautiful. There's honestly nothing better than a man and his guitar singing songs from the heart. Oh, man. The next song was Runaway, which is great. But then at the end he tacked on a bit of Everybody by Backstreet Boys. My inner 90s fangirl had a mini-meltdown. After this he said that there's a space in the setlist where it's "his choice" and he chose to sing Little Bird. He gave us the backstory behind it, which I already knew, but it was so cool to watch him kinda light up and remember the circumstances that inspired him to write the song. Now I'm sure that there are few people who can make an arena full of people quiet down and just listen to him sing.  As I said before, Ed is one of those people. I'm pretty sure everyone who had a seat was sitting down. I know I was. Ed started singing Afire Love, and I swear to you not a soul was even breathing loudly. I just remember sitting in my seat, recording the song on my phone, and being in awe of the man performing in front of me. Thinking Out Loud was next. I absolutely love this song; I will dance to this song at my wedding...along with Give Me Love, but we'll talk about that later. Ed's voice is just so pure and beautiful. It really shines in this record. My favourite song came next. Give Me Love has been my absolute favourite song ever since I heard it on +. I tried to record it, but my phone ran out of memory halfway through. I cannot put into words how amazing the song is live. He just starts it off and runs with it. He spends roughly ten minutes performing this song, and I loved every second of it. It's full of passion and heart and soul. The "last" song Ed did was I See Fire. Every time I hear this song I just get goose bumps. It's beautifully written and paints an indescribable picture. Naturally after the song he walked off stage. The cheers were so loud. The small venue really amplified the sounds. It was buzzing. A few minutes later, Ed emerged from the side of the stage, smile on his face and guitar in hand. The next song he did is my second favourite. You Need Me, I Don't Need You. I honestly can't tell you how much I absolutely love this song. It has probably the best line ever written in it: "They say I'm up and coming like I'm fucking in an elevator." Gosh, I love it. The live version of this song is absolutely delightful. Ed adds in extra verses, and it's just so good. So, so good. Of course he played The A Team. I can't help but smile when I hear this song. I'm so glad he released it as his first single here in the US. It was a great introduction to the wonder that he is. The night ended with Sing. It was a huge party during that song. Ed had everyone on their feet singing and clapping along with him. When he exited the stage for the final time, I finally felt myself breathing.

It took awhile to come down from my concert high. It was nothing compared to One Direction. Ed's shows are just completely different. You can't compare it to anything. He's in a league of his own.

I will never see another performer like him. I cannot wait until his next tour. I can only hope it's still just him, his guitar, and his loop pedal. There's really nothing better.

1 comment:

  1. That's awesome! I missed him when he came to my city - now I wish I had gone!

    ReplyDelete