In a night of musical euphoria, Ed Sheeran bid India farewell in his last performance in Gurugram, making his debut in the city with magic, energy, and emotion. Waiting in queue for hours, the sea of fans couldn’t wait to enter the arena and grab a perfect spot to see the artist perform as the English singer-songwriter wrapped up his six-city Mathematics Tour in the city.
In the warm-up act, Indie-pop sensation Lisa Mishra sang a medley of her tracks, a cover of Arijit Singh’s Kabira, and her Call Me Bae anthem Yaara Tree Bin to boost the audience for the main course. Finally, the wait was over. In a black t-shirt with ‘DELHI’ written on it, an acoustic guitar and a loop pedal, Sheeran entered the stage and the crowd welcomed him with a wave of cheers.
Singing his hits such as Happier and Perfect, he was joined by thousands of fans who sang along in melody. Talking about his India Tour, he said, “I first came to India 10 years ago, played in Mumbai, then again last year. Then I thought this time I will perform everywhere else but Mumbai. This is my first time in Delhi and I'm so excited to finally see all the incredible places that I've never had the chance to experience before." His unparalleled stage presence and a deep connection with the audience, it was truly a night to remember.
Engaging the audience
Sheeran's debut album, Plus, was released in September 2011 and topped the UK Albums Chart. Before singing his major hit, Thinking Out Loud, he said, “If you don’t know the words to this next song, you’re at the wrong gig.”
In a heartwarming gesture, the singer paused his performance to help a fan who fainted. A fan, who wished not to be named said, “Seeing Ed Sheeran, whose songs we have lived on speakers and see him perform live is a dream come true.”
Some surprises
What was a surprise was that the Grammy-winning artist sang Love Yourself — the song he had written for a certain ‘Canadian friend’.
Sheeran's third album, Divide, has been the best selling album worldwide, with two singles breaking records in many countries. He also became the first artist to have two songs debut in the US top 10 in the same week. His fourth single, ‘Perfect’ reached number one in the US, Australia, and the UK and he was named the Global Recording Artist of the year in 2017.
From making the audience sing and dance to his songs, the concert saw Sheeran deliver a dynamic setlist with fan favourites such as ‘Shivers’, and‘Photograph’.
At one moment, when he saw the crowd singing melodiously to his tracks, he said, “You guys are too focused on singing in tune. That’s my job. I need you to scream-sing,” making sure that everyone left with a sore throat!
As the evening drew to its conclusion, fans were eagerly waiting for the much-awaited song ‘Shape of You,’ but to everyone’s surprise, the singer gave them the impression he would leave them unsatisfied. For a fleeting moment, thousands of fans went crazy and started chanting ‘Shape Of You’. The artist, by then in the Indian cricket team’s iconic blue jersey, bounced back on the stage, sparking thunderous cheers from the ground. He started the song and the crowd repeated, “I’m in, in, love with the shape of you” in unison.
Concluding the concert with the energetic track, ‘Bad Habits’, the artist said, “The last three weeks in India have been magical. Thank you for welcoming me, and hopefully, I will come back soon!”