Ed Sheeran the artist
I was reminiscing over Ed’s Loop Pedal tour. He’s the only artist I’ve seen four times. I have seen other artists and bands multiple times, but no one this many times. I was thinking about what drives me back to his concert. I mean to be fair; I’m not one to say no to attending a concert if/when asked. Whether or not I know the artist or follow their music is immaterial.
Ed is a global superstar. Yet he’s the most grounded artist I’ve seen live. He remembers his early days in his career. You’ll see through my blogs and TikTok videos that I share about the struggles of getting into this industry. He played bars, pubs, and busked, and a lot of the time to deaf ears. Can you believe that no one paid attention to his song The A Team when it first came out?
At the Loop Tour, his opening video paid homage to his early days. He said in it, “I can just close my eyes, and remember what it’s like to play to empty rooms,” and that he does not take the opportunity to play stadiums and arenas in front of large crowds for granted. I think it is impressive when an artist connects with you beyond just their music. At least, this is how I feel with Ed.
I’ve been on my journey to mainstream concerts for 16 years now (as of 2026). I’ve heard so many ‘nos’ throughout. I’m not saying this to gain sympathy. But rather to share my journey. Rejections are a part of your journey. But if you keep doing what you love and refuse to take no for an answer, and find other ways, the universe will reward you. It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve truly been able to increase the number of the concerts worked and add that experience to my resumé.
I posted about perfect events a couple of weeks ago, and how that is just a façade. What is perfect to you is completely different from what is perfect to another person onsite at the event. Ed, on opening night, said there would be mistakes. As a spectator, I didn’t see anything wrong with his set, but he noticed and kept joking about it along the way. On the spontaneous night 2, he messed up one of two of his songs. Again, as a spectator, I didn’t notice, but he did, and continued to joke about it, and apologised if anyone noticed it. Moral of the story here is, he’s been doing massive shows for the last 15-years, and if he can make mistakes and forgive himself and continue to give everyone a fantastic show, so can you.
Every time I attend a concert as a patron, I always leave more and more inspired. Whether it’s from something the artist shared or from what their songs mean to me, or if my experience there has taught me something about how my show would unfold. It’s a feeling I cannot describe.
Until next time,
Mili
