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While Ed Sheeran weaves his stories into songs, he also spins a good on-stage yarn. And there were about 40,000 people present at Go Media stadium on Saturday night to listen.
Thousands of fans set off on a pilgrimage to see Ed Sheeran on January 16 and 17 and I was among them, unaware of the encounter we would all have with the singer and his anthems.
Against a spectacular backdrop of lights and kaleidoscopic colours from Australasia’s biggest TV screen, along with his loop pedal and an acoustic guitar, Sheeran cast a lone figure.
But the crowd was his company and he wooed and wowed us with the stories behind some of his songs as his three-hour Loop Tour setlist rolled out.
Sheeran “really, really deeply” loves New Zealand. In fact, he loves it so much he told the audience if he hadn’t met his wife “10 minutes down the road” in his UK hometown, he would likely have moved here.
“I do truly believe that had I not married a girl from my hometown that I went to high school with, and you know our parents live within 10 minutes of us, If that hadn’t have happened I do think I would have just ended up moving to New Zealand.
“Such an amazing country, such an amazing culture,” he gushed.
The crowd woo-hooed at this. It was as though we had claimed Sheeran by proxy.
“I love this country,” he said, kneeling in an Ed-to-crowd moment as if he were proposing.
“I would come to this country just as a tourist.
“I can’t think of anywhere in the world I would rather start a tour. It’s so nice coming here. Because when you start a tour in a country, you get to get here way earlier because you’re doing lots of rehearsals.
“So, I get to spend an entire month here in New Zealand. And just as a fan of New Zealand, that’s an amazing thing for me and my family.”
“Thank you for making me feel welcome and making me feel loved.”
That was it. He’s officially ours. For a month.
Sheeran calls his gigs multi-generational and thanked those in the crowd who had grown up with his music and are now bringing their own kids to his show.
“It’s kind of like a family affair. I know there are a lot of parents in the crowd tonight who have brought their kids. Thank you for bringing them to this gig experience, I hope you have a lot of fun.”
It was a sad moment when he opened up about the story behind “Eyes Closed”, a track from his album Subtract.
Sheeran spoke about the shock of losing a dear friend who died suddenly, sparking a grief that turned into a lifelong tribute.
“I feel like everyone in this stadium at some point has lost someone close to them, I feel like it’s obviously a natural part of life that we go through,” he said to the crowd.
“But sometimes when we lose people, we lose them very, very suddenly.
“My friend Jamal, he passed away in the night. I woke up in the morning and he was gone. And I didn’t believe it to begin with. I went through denial – until his funeral, when it kind of hit home.
“But there was a month between him passing away and his funeral where I thought he might come back, if there was a chance.
“And I wrote this song called “Eyes Closed.”
Sheeran could bring any crowd back up from a sad moment though and he was clearly beside himself that the bridge was working.
Along with the lights, lasers and pyrotechnics, the sparkling bridge extended out from the stage into the crowd.
“The bridge is working. So that’s good. On Thursday we had a rehearsal and it didn’t work. And thankfully for the last few days it’s been working,” he said dryly.
The bridge was like a mini-Auckland Harbour Bridge, so I think the Aucklanders now believe he made it for their city.
Sheeran’s band joined him for a few songs, but mostly it was just us and him. And I don’t think the crowd would have had it any other way.
And just as we thought our night was over, the artist reappeared, bringing his home to ours in a way, having replaced his olive-green t-shirt for his hometown football club’s (Ipswich) trademark blue shirt.
Following this was an encore of some of his most popular tracks, ending in a burst of fireworks that rivalled New Year’s Eve circa 2019 (pre-pandemic).
It was a solid 8-11pm performance and although traffic was mayhem afterwards, I didn’t care. Ed was in town.
There was so much to this experience, I don’t have the word count to describe it. But I just have one message for Wellington and Christchurch – actually all of Australasia: Catch Ed Sheeran on his Loop Tour if you can.
