MTV Review | Ed Sheeran Mesmerises Crowds At London's O2 Arena
Ed Sheeran was on top form for his final night headlining London's O2 Arena on Wednesday (October 15) and it's safe to say, we've fallen in love with him all over again!
Feeling: As the crowd waited in anticipation for Ed's arrival, the O2 was shocked into darkness, causing a rip-roaring scream around the arena. As the lighting returned, Sheeran slowly walked onto the stage to greet his guests, and without a word, launched into opening track I'm A Mess.
The Look: Ed kept it simple, wearing his now-trademark, red checked shirt with a white T-shirt underneath, completing his casual look with a pair of jeans. The stage was empty, apart from four amps, two mics, his trusty loop pedal and a series of vertical screens which created some visual effects. Some may say minimal, butthere is no point taking the attention away from Sheeran, whose presence alone was enough to fill the room.
Tunes: Hisset was riddled with tracksfrom his No.1 album X - with Don't, Take It Back and Bloodstream going down particularly well. He then slowed things down with the mesmerising Tenerife Sea, Afire Love and new single Thinking Out Loud - with the star referring to his ballroom dancing in the video. Old favourites such as Lego House, Drunk and Give Me Love alsoresulted in a mass sing-a-long.
After teasing his audience with a brief exit witha cheeky smirk,Ed then returned for the encore, which included a tension building version of You Need Me, I Don't Need You which really got the crowd pumping. A-Team and Sing then followed, before Sheeran left the stage as the song continued to echo around the arena.
Banter: Sheeran joked with the crowd throughout, turning on his charm to thank London for having him. He also talked about the writing process behind some of his tunes, mentioning that he penned songPhotograph in 2012 and hasn't played it live much. When it came to his slower tracks, Ed teased that he would be picking up the pace again soon while encouraging the Sheerios present to sing-a-long.
[related]Sweat Factor: The red-haired wonderworked up a sweat by jumping around the stage, also getting the audience to bounce and clap along to his tracks. Fans were also left a little hot under the collar during Take It Back where he raps that he was a "singer you don't want to see with his shirt off" - causing the crowd to strongly disagree!
Summary: Sheeran's presence is mesmerising, with the crowd hanging off his every word and watching in awe as he commanded the show to create a unique and powerful sound that filled the entire O2. He connected with every single audience member, while truly filling such a huge space without the usual props, dancers and costumes - less is more for Ed. Oh, anddid we mention we LOVE him?
Set List:
I’m a Mess
Lego House
Don’t
Drunk
Take it Back
One
Bloodstream
Tenerife Sea
Run Away
Photograph
Afire Love
Thinking Out Loud
Give Me Love
I See Fire
ENCORE
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
The A Team
Sing
Reporting: Mel Mitchell
Words: Joanne Dorken @MTVUK