Ed Sheeran Fall Tour Review
Although I go to so many shows, I still look forward to certain things about each one. Ed Sheeran (interview here) is one artist whom, no matter what mood I’m in or how many times I go see him, each show is unique and each time he is flawless. Closing out the last day of summer break before college with his concert seemed like a pretty good idea to me and I was more than ecstatic to take the quick ride over to the gorgeous riverside venue in Philadelphia. Since I’ve only been in the city for a few days, it was my first time down at Festival Pier and this was definitely the way to experience it.
With the stage set against the water, the Ben Franklin Bridge off to the side, and a gorgeous sunset, the show started with the phenomenal Selah Sue. She is huge in her home country of Belgium and her talent filled the air. Fans responded perfectly to her cues and her 30 minute set was the perfect way to kick off the evening.
At 7pm, Passenger (Mike Rosenberg) took to the stage and having listened to him a bit before the show but not knowing much about his live performance, I was excited to see just how great he was. His onstage persona reflects in some of the photos below and as he constantly cracked jokes, especially in his song ‘I Hate,’ he still managed to play a great 30 minute set. Ed also brought him out along with Selah Sue later in the show to sing one of Passenger’s songs. Although there were plenty of screaming girls at the show, they understood that slower songs meant to stay silent and even surprised Passenger with how quiet the crowd got, especially when performing a lovely cover of Paul Simon’s “The Sound of Silence.” I was impressed and so was the rest of the crowd.
Around 8, Ed took to the stage to the tune of thousands of screams. The warmth of the audience acted like a blanket since it was getting pretty chilly outside by that point — or at least I thought it was. Opening with “Give Me Love,” I took a second to soak it all in while shooting some photos. After the song, he gave his usual speech about the crowd becoming a gospel choir and letting everyone know that if they hadn’t come to participate, they were at the wrong show. He also let everyone know that it was going to be an entertaining two hours and that was an understatement. Playing crowd favorites “U.N.I.” and “Drunk,” Ed quickly proved it would be an evening to remember. When he got to “Small Bump” and “This,” fireworks were going off across the river; and after a few laughs about timing, he continued with the slow songs. Although the audience was quiet, the sound of fireworks in the distance could be heard, but they added a cool look to the stage. Shortly after, while introducing his song “Kiss Me,” a young girl towards the front and center of the stage must have passed out from excitement or dehydration and had to be pulled from the crowd. Rather than keep going, Ed paused the show for a minute to make sure she was safely pulled out and then proceeded to leave the stage and check on her to make sure she was doing ok.
After that little break, he finished introducing the song, which he wrote for a family friend’s wedding; and then let the attentive audience know that he would play a few extra songs. From a cover of Nina Simone’s “Be My Husband,” the duet with Passenger, and “Lego House,” the remainder of the show was beyond perfect. After a brief minute or so, Ed returned to the stage for an 18 minute rendition of “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” that included the Fresh Prince
theme song, the typical extended version, and random other unique raps. Following that were a few more great songs, including a completely unplugged — yes, he stepped away from the mic and even from my spot up high on the side of the stage, I could still hear him — version of “The Parting Glass” to bring the show to a close.
Leaving the venue and heading back to the dorm, I had some time to think about just how talented all the musicians were. Still slightly speechless, I got to recount events to the girls on my floor and then it was time to get things together before classes in the morning. The show was the perfect way to end summer and if Ed isn’t making a stop in your city on this tour, make sure to catch him in January/February when he comes back! Tour dates are below along with links to the photo albums.
Photos of Ed
Photos of Passenger
Photos of Selah Sue
Tour Dates:
SEPTEMBER
26 Minneapolis, MN State Theater
28 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
OCTOBER
01 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern
02 San Diego, CA House of Blues
04 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
05 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
06 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
JANUARY
17 Houston, TX House of Blues
18 Dallas, TX The Palladium Ballroom
19 Austin, TX Stubbs Bar-B-Q
22 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
24 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
25 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
26 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
28 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
29 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
30 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
FEBRUARY
1 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
2 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
3 Kansas City, MO The Midland
5 Broomfield, CO 1st Bank Center
6 Magna, UT Great Salt Air
9 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium
12 San Diego, CA Spreckels Theatre
13 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
