“One man and his loop pedal” are the words often thrown around when people describe the
The first time I saw him live was back in January 2012 in Aberdeen Music Hall, a modest venue with just 1500 capacity, and I was blown away by his sheer talent and incredible energy. When I next saw him at Glasgow Barrowlands, again a relatively small venue with a slightly bigger audience of 2000 he remained new and refreshing, he broke the rules and it worked. He managed to capture the attention of every person in the audience and held them in the palm of his hand… but how would that translate in an arena space? The gig’s intimacy was such a key feature, so wouldn’t that be lost on a much larger scale?
The show at the Glasgow SSE Hydro opens with the second track on his latest album X, I’m A Mess, and the crowd knows every word. Sheeran remains as he said he would, him alone with his guitar and loop pedal for accompaniment, plus a fair few giant screens. He then goes on to perform the singles Lego House and Drunk from his first album, actively encouraging people not just to sing but scream out the lyrics, saying “the deal is I want everyone to leave here without a voice”. He puts a twist on newer single Don’t by mixing it up with Loyal and No Diggity, carrying it off in such an effortlessly cool way that is his very own.
Though performed with stunning vocals, it feels as if there’s something missing from X tracks Bloodstream and Runaway, perhaps missing the extra accompaniment on the album or maybe that’s where the intimacy comes in. There’s a sense of emptiness and the “rapper bop” he asks the crowd to execute when the beat drops feels somewhat forced.
When he performs this week’s No.1 single Thinking Out Loud with an electric guitar, asking everyone to cuddle and dance with the person beside them, proving why he is and deserves to be one of the biggest British artists right now around the world. The A Team feels more personal as he stands back and allows the crowd to sing, a big school boyish grin on his face. He then almost silences the audience by sending round a universal “shh” during his performance of Give Me Love.
The encore features the extended live version of You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, I have to say, my own personal highlight. His slick and effortless transition from soft tones into rapper is sublime. Ending the night is Sing, his anthemic Pharrell collaboration, leaving fans singing long after the lights come on and even after leaving the arena.
It’s clear that Ed Sheeran can translate seamlessly from intimate venue to arena whilst still keeping his unique charm.
