Ed Sheeran ends India tour with electrifying Delhi-NCR concert

New Delhi: Armed with just his guitar and a loop station, British music sensation Ed Sheeran, known for songs “Perfect” and “Shape of You”, delivered a memorable concert in Delhi-NCR here on Saturday, proving why he’s one of the most engaging live performers in the world.

Ed Sheeran ends India tour with electrifying Delhi-NCR concert, says ‘Hopefully, I’ll be back soon’
Ed Sheeran ends India tour with electrifying Delhi-NCR concert, says ‘Hopefully, I’ll be back soon’

Thousands of people from various parts of the Delhi-NCR turned up for Sheeran’s final performance as part of ‘The Mathematics Tour to India’ at the Leisure Valley Ground and he didn’t disappoint.

Indian singer-actor Lisa Mishra opened the concert, setting the mood for the evening as people grooved to her performance on songs like “Kabira” and “Sajna Ve”. And by the time she was done, the crowd was keen to see Sheeran perform.

After a wait of another half-hour, Sheeran turned up on the stage, wearing a T-shirt with ‘Delhi’ written on it. He was welcomed with a round of applause and cheers.

After performing the first song of the evening, “Castle on the Hill”, the Grammy winner addressed the crowd.

Sheeran, 33, then spoke about how he wanted to perform in different parts of the country, unlike his previous concerts which only took place in Mumbai.

“The first time I came to tour India was in 2015, we played in Mumbai. The next time we came, we played in Mumbai and the next time we came, we played in Mumbai.

“The last time we came I said, ‘Why don’t we play anywhere else?’ They said, ‘Where do you want to play next?’ I said, ‘Next time, we’ll play everywhere except Mumbai. We will go to all cities of India,” he said.

The singer-songwriter began his six-city ‘Mathematics Tour to India’ in Pune on January 30, and has already performed in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Shillong.

About his time in Delhi, Sheeran said he shot many videos while sight-seeing various parts of the city.

“It’s amazing to see, we went to Old Delhi yesterday… What a place! Thank you so much for having me here in your beautiful country,” he added.

He introduced the public to his loop station, which he uses to layer beats, harmonies, and guitar riffs in real time.

For the next two hours, Sheeran belted out hits after hits such as “Thinking Out Loud”, “Photograph”, “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”, “Take It Back”, “Don’t”, “Give Me Love”, “Lego House”, and a dozen more.

The singer briefly paused his performance on “Happier” after he noticed that someone fainted in the crowd. He asked the security to check in on the person and exited the stage but resumed the show soon.

Sheeran also spoke about his initial years as a musician, where he would sing “The A Team” in London bars.

“When I wrote this song, I really thought it would change everything for me. And I went in the next day and no one cared. I played it again the next day and no one cared. And the next day, no one cared.

“After about six months, people started caring. Small amount of people and then that went from like two to three to four to 20 to 100 and it started growing. It became a very minor hit within the UK. And then I did a record deal and this song became a major hit in the UK,” he said.

The singer said the track took him around the world and “opened up every single door” for him.

“I honestly thought I would be a one-hit wonder. And it would be just that one song. Honestly, I was happy with that. And that was 16 years ago. I still get to play at places I have never been to. I had never ever been to Delhi, let alone have a show here. It is super exciting to be exploring the world and playing this song,” he added.

Sheeran, who later changed his outfit to the Indian cricket team’s jersey, reserved the best of his tracks for the last. He first performed “Perfect”, which was met with loud cheers from the audience.

And then came “Shape of You”. As soon as the opening beats of the global hit played, the audience erupted with cheers, singing every lyric in unison.

The energy was palpable as many in the crowd danced to the song, waved their hands in the air and captured the moment on their smartphones.

Soon after, Sheeran wrapped up the concert with a performance on “Bad Habits”.

“The last three weeks in India have been magical. I’ve learned a lot. Thank you for welcoming me and hopefully I will come back soon,” Sheeran told the audience.

Sheeran’s ‘Mathematics Tour to India’ is produced and promoted by AEG Presents Asia and BookMyShow Live, the live entertainment experiential division of BookMyShow.