“My dream is to perform in small theaters in England… This is beyond the pale,” says Ed Sheeran at a sold-out SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. on Saturday evening (September 23).
Indeed, performing in front of a record 81,000 fans – the most tickets sold for a single-day event – is mind-boggling. But the show itself is no less amazing. Sheeran commands the stadium on his own, mostly accompanied by his five radios and various guitars. And while he occasionally he’s joined by a band for the first time on his tours, and his biggest ally is perhaps the stage itself.
Surrounded by six smaller stages (where the band played) with screens shaped like guitar picks hanging above each, Sheeran stands alone at the center of it all, on a circular and rotating stage. Complete with a spinning ring (which is shaped like a treadmill) and a retractable ladder, he appears to move and breathe in perfect harmony with Sheeran – no easy task since the artist apparently never has stopped moving, demonstrating the agility and endurance of a boxer in the ring.
Over the next two-plus hours, he presents his own version of the Eras Tour, performing songs from each of his albums, titled mathematical equations: +, ×, ÷ =, − – as well as a mixture of hits from No. 6 Cooperation project and even a special and seemingly spontaneous live debut from his upcoming release. Autumn variations.
Sheeran often reminds audiences that it’s been five years since he last toured America, and in that time he’s only amassed more hits and honed his vocals, musicianship and mental agility. And although he always performed alone, performing in front of more than 80,000 people seemed especially impressive—and so are these five moments from the set.
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A look at his process
For those new to the crowd, as well as those who may have needed a refresher, Sheeran took the time to explain exactly how he performs. After all, going to a stadium show and being entertained for over two hours by one person… is not often the norm. Sheeran emphasizes that he performs “without backing tracks,” showing off his loop stations, which are a series of pedals he uses to record and loop audio so it plays repeatedly. He tells the crowd that what they hear tonight is different from last night and will be different from the next as everything is looped live on the spot. This is perhaps most impressive in the expansive and cinematic Give Me Love, during which Sheeran seems to completely lose himself in the process – in the best way.
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A+ introduction to the “Team”
Sheeran explains that he wrote his breakthrough hit “The A Team” when he was just 18. “I thought, ‘This is the song that’s going to change everything,'” he recalls. “Nobody cared.” He remembers performing the song in small venues in England in front of empty rooms or in front of a bunch of people with their backs to the stage. “Eventually people started to care,” he says with a grin. “A Team” was the lead single from his 2011 debut album and earned him his first Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.
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The way he did “Don’t”
Walking on a circular treadmill on stage, Sheeran performs his hit “Don’t” with a thrilling twist. As the song’s sonic framework continues to repeat, he loops through a series of songs, each synced to a beat: “No Diggity,” “California Love,” and “The Next Episode.” The medley served as both an ode to the musical lines and, of course, Sheeran’s passion and talent for rapping.
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Timely concert debut
“We’re adding a song to the setlist,” Sheeran announces, coordinating in real time with his musical director and keyboardist Ashton Miranda. “I’m releasing an album next Friday,” he continues, “(and) I’m releasing it on my own label… no music videos, no singles.” He explains that the upcoming project, called Autumn variations and produced by Aaron Dessner, it consists of 14 stories about 14 autumn friends—”Autumn is for you guys,” he says, an apt comment given the events of September. The 23rd marked the first day of the season. Sheeran then begins introducing a never-before-heard song called “American Town,” which he says is simply about “falling in love in an American town.” He later performed another track from the album, “Plastic Bag”, about trying to numb pain with things that ultimately never help.
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Segment “Grandparents”
An hour before the end of the show, Sheeran makes an important announcement. “From now on, these are the songs your grandparents know,” he says. “If you don’t know these, you’re on the wrong show.” The chart included Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself,” which Sheeran co-wrote with Benny Blanco while on tour bus in 2015, as well as his own songs including “Sing,” “Photograph” and “Perfect.” As the circular screen that surrounded the stage before the show begins to lower, Sheeran says “Afterglow” as phone flashlights wave across the stadium. After a few seconds, he rises again to reveal Sheeran wearing the number 29 shirt with the words “Autumn Variations” on the back (the album goes on sale Friday, September 29). “Want more?!” he asks before diving into “Shape Of You.” After this, he has another question: “Do you have the energy to one another song? he asks, leaving the energetic “Bad Habits” for last, complete with a series of sparklers and fireworks that surround Sheeran in their colorful explosions.