Ed Sheeran concert review

Who would have thought that Ed Sheeran, an internationally famous singer/songwriter, who has sold out hundreds of well known venues all over the world, would visit our comparatively little Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls?

With a day off of school last week, you would think that the week would fly by in the blink of an eye, but it seemingly went even slower in anticipation of this concert.

All week I kept my eye on the prize, and while I sat there in Algebra 2, I pictured myself at the concert on Friday night, dancing to Ed’s angelic voice, and I heard the piercing cheering, almost screaming, of the crowd…oh…it was just my teacher reminding me to keep my eyes open in class.

Finally Friday was here, and after a school day that felt like an eternity, I found myself standing in the middle of a crazed crowd.

With Christina Perri as the opening act, the audience really got two concerts for the price of one.  This could explain why these were the most expensive tickets year for a Sheeran concert, averaging about $30 more than his usual price of around $130 at primary price.

Typically a crowd wouldn’t know every word to every song in the opening act, but Perri’s performance was an exception. She started with “Human,” “A Thousand Years” and her first hit single in 2011 that established her as a true musician, “Jar Of Hearts.” She filled nearly another hour with old hits, along with new melodies from her latest album, “Head Over Heart.”

Then Ed Sheeran made his grand appearance, and that was when the crowd went nuts. The girl next to me fainted (don’t worry, the person next to her caught her and she was okay –  only starstruck). The shrieking audience and incessant commotion and dancing was definitely something to experience. It was a kind of feeling that I cannot even try to put into words.

Sheeran came out with a bang and started with his songs, “I’m A Mess,” “Lego House” and “Drunk,” all from his most recent album, “X” (pronounced “multiply”).

What followed his intro was a brief disclaimer-like speech that left me in surprise. As if it was actually going to happen, Sheeran reminded the audience that this was, of course, a live show, and mess ups are more than possible.

He did not mess up once.

It really was a euphonious and pretty flawless three hours.

Reflecting the rawness of his unique, acoustic, folk style sound, was the simplicity of the entire concert itself. The only thing otherwise adding to the embellishment of his performance was the bigger-than-life sized screen behind him that reflected portrayals of the songs he sang, bringing them to life. Otherwise, it was him, his flannel and his guitar sitting on the wooden stool, center stage.

Sheeran then sent the crowd into what can be described as nothing less than fangirl-mode, when he proceeded with his most recent hits, “Thinking Out Loud,” “Don’t” and “Photograph.”

“Thinking Out Loud,” was Sheeran’s third single released from his album, “X,” and reached number one on the charts in Nov. 2014. “Don’t,” was Sheeran’s first Top Ten single in ten countries, and as of the beginning of 2015, it has sold over 1,464,000 copies. Finally, and most recently, “Photograph,” is the song that consists of four minutes and 18 seconds of sheer heaven. It reached top five in five different countries, and was his fifth and last single releaseSydni Burg
of the album.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, Perri made a reappearance to sing a song with Sheeran, which was recently released on her new album. The song is called “Be My Forever,” and it really was a beautiful ballad.

Overall, I’m still in a trance. The concert was absolutely flawless, from the sound, to the setting, to the music, and the entire night completely exceeded my expectations. Out of all the concerts that Blossom hosts yearly, this one is definitely one to remember.