Ed Sheeran: Five things we've learned from his concerts in Ireland
Ed Sheeran on stage at Páirc Ui Chaoimh, Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
There already seems to be a consensus that the Mathematics tour is better than the Divide concerts we saw in 2018. He has even more tunes to choose from, it’s an improved visual experience for the audience, and the occasional presence of a band creates a different dynamic for some tunes. There’s also the important fact that he’s begun the tour in Ireland. For him, it probably all feels fresh after such a long layoff, and the buzz is back for being in a big audience.
Sheeran is such a pro that he’ll undoubtedly still be doing great shows as the tour-clock hits 63 gigs in Perth next March, but it is a gruelling schedule ahead. He’s also become a father since he last hit the road – his daughter Lyra will be two in August.
And while the pandemic has abated for now, there's still potential for Covid to cause havoc with any world tour.
With tickets at €81 (standing) and €91 (seated), plus Ticketmaster’s hefty service charges, for many people, going to see Ed Sheeran – or any similar-level artist - involves quite a layout before they even leave the house. Bring the family, throw in an official t-shirt (€30) or two, a few drinks, some fast food (at Páirc Ui Chaoimh, prices were standard and quality was decent), and it all gets a bit eye-watering.
Of course profits are being made, but the other side of that coin is the show is a huge production, Ireland is an expensive place to put on concerts and, in truth, ticket prices here aren’t that different than other European venues.
Ok, it’s not exactly earth-shattering news to reveal that Ed Sheeran has had loads of hits. But it’s only when you hear him play 24 of them together in a two-hour session that you realise what an incredible back catalogue the 31-year-old has amassed over his five albums. There’s all the ones you know and then all the ones you forgot you know.
‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Shape Of You’ obviously featured among the big singalongs at the Irish gigs, while other treats included trad song The Parting Glass, his take on Blackstreet’s No Diggity, and Love Yourself, the Sheeran composition made famous by Justin Bieber. You get the feeling he could’ve easily kept rolling for another two hours.
For most punters, it was their first time at a gig with the ‘in the round’ stage set-up in the centre of the pitch. For a mostly-solo artist like Sheeran, it’s a fantastic format. He’s no longer the red-haired dot at one end of the stadium, and now far more people get to see him up close. To further enhance the experience, the stage rotates at times, and also makes clever use of screens to ensure the people in the stands also get to see his every move.
Giant curved screens are augmented by smaller heart-shaped screens at various angles, and they all show animation sequences that are part of a spectacular production, complete with pyrotechnics. Add in a top-quality sound system, and the bar has been raised to a new level for other artists to try and follow.
Ed Sheeran is not to everyone’s liking, and even with the amazingly high percentage of the population who’ll attend one of his eight concerts on the island, there are plenty more people who’d roll their eyes at the prospect.
But whatever your own tastes, his concerts were a reminder of the joy of music. Onstage, a guy with a guitar first inspired on this path at the age of 11 when he saw Damien Rice play a gig in Dublin. He’s since evolved into a versatile magpie, intuitively picking bits from genres right across the spectrum of popular music.
In the audience, an incredible age-range dancing and singing along. The young kids at their first gig making memories they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives, the coming of age experience for the teenagers, the Mams showing they still have all the moves, the dragged-along Dads who ended up having a great night... After the past two years, it feels like we all needed something like this.
