Almanac Music Review: Ed Sheeran at the MCG

 

We welcome Naira Khan, a Year 10 student at Viewbank College in Melbourne, and a keen young writer…

 

 

 

 

 

Ed Sheeran 2023 Tour: Biggest Ticketed Event in Australia

It appeared as though a satellite had landed, a podium surrounded by strikingly vibrant screens was in the middle of the MCG. Anticipation filled the crowd and a countdown began. The screens lifted and there he was, the global phenomenon of a man that Melbourne had been waiting for.

It began with a young redhead, skilled with a guitar and the ability to pull heart strings with his raw lyrics. Ed Sheeran’s journey to global stardom is rooted in his humble beginning. He learned to play the guitar at an early age and started creating songs as a way to convey his emotions growing up in a close-knit household. With nothing but his guitar and a rucksack full of grit, he hit the streets of London, playing on street corners and in modest venues to perfect his live performance abilities and create a devoted fan base from nothing.

The little boy flourished into a now 32-year-old man who continues to passionately produce record breaking album after record breaking album. Slowly but surely he has established himself as one of the world’s biggest artists. Edward Christopher Sheeran is an absolutely spectacular musician who knows exactly how to put on a show. Over the past decade the British sensation has truly made his mark on the music industry, making himself known for his unique pop and R&B sound. From local churches to world renowned stadiums, the pop star, rock star, all-star has travelled around the globe three times in his life and is now doing it for the fourth to perform his latest top-of-the-charts album ‘=’ (equals).

Ed Sheeran’s goal to play at the MCG has seen him to not only break a previously held concert record at the arena, but also establish a new personal milestone. The international musician played two concerts at the ‘G on March 2nd and 3rd, drawing 108,000 spectators for his first performance, the very next night, breaking that mark by playing to the highest crowd of his career, a record-breaking 109,500 spectators. The previous record for the largest concert attendance at the MCG was held by Eminem, who performed there in 2019 in front of 80,708 people. Sheeran has now eclipsed that figure.

It took the singer quite a few years to become well-known, but years of composing and disseminating his own songs resulted in the discovery of Ed Sheeran. Before finally being signed to a label, he has released a considerable number of popular songs. He released his EP ‘Loose Change’, which includes his debut single ‘The A-Team’. A year later, whilst he was still without a record deal, Ed Sheeran released another EP called the No. 5 Collaborations Project, which features various well known musicians. Over the course of fifteen years, Sheeran has put out five studio albums, including ‘+’ (‘plus’), ‘X’ (multiple), ‘divide’, ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’, and ‘=’ (‘equals’). All of which reached the top of iTunes and multiple British charts, becoming complete successes.

As the lights dimmed, the crowd erupted in anticipation, as Budjerah, a rising star in the music industry, entered to open for Sheeran. His contagious energy enthralled everyone in the stadium as he lit up the stage with an eclectic mix of R&B soul and pop songs. Budjerah’s powerful act was followed by Maisie Peters, a rising pop sensation from the UK, who unleashed a number of sing-alongs from her most recent album ‘You Signed Up for This’. Much to the audience’s excitement, she performed ‘Torn’ by Natalie Imbruglia as a dedication to Australia. Both artists undoubtedly gave their all for the sold-out audience and would have left that performance knowing they had gained tens of thousands of new admirers. A pleasant, energised mood developed around Ed’s spectacular stage as a result of having such incredible support acts.

Soon enough, the screens lifted and there he was. The stadium erupted into life as Sheeran played the uplifting guitar riff of ‘Tides’, the lead single off his 2021 album ‘=’, and the crowd immediately began to sing along to the track’s catchy chorus. The overwhelming sensation of optimism you experience when you hear it is the reason it has been track #1 on the album and track #1 on the set list.’

Sheeran then progressed into ‘I’m A Mess’, exhibiting his masterful skill of live looping of his own sounds, and then proceeded to play Shivers by exhibiting how he makes various loops in real time. The two tracks that came after it, ‘Castle On the Hill’ and a combination of ‘Don’t’ and Backstreet’s ‘No Diggity’, only served to maintain the stadium’s upbeat atmosphere. As the crowd sang ‘Don’ts’ final verses back to Sheeran, the screens all around burst into a mixture of shades of crimson, symbolic of an Australian sunset.

Next, Sheeran’s passionate, emotional memorial to Australian music world icon Michael Gudinski, ‘Visiting Hours’, featuring Ashton Miranda on keys, made its debut in Melbourne. Sheeran then brought on his band, which included drummer Mark Pusey, proceeding to start singing a mashup of four popular songs: ‘Own It’, ‘Peru’, ‘Beautiful People’, and ‘I Don’t Care’. He went on to sing absolute fan favourites: Grammy winning single ‘Thinking Out Loud’ along with ‘Sing’ and ‘Love Yourself’. Collectively singing the melodious harmonies in every single song, the entire audience was at the top of the world.

As everyone else was dancing in, or even on their seats, Sheeran appeared to go with the easier option. The ‘A Team’, a gem of a song from ‘+’, started to play as the revolving stage made its first appearance and continued to rotate him around the platform. The show design included a large 360-degree ring visual projection board that travelled up and down above the rotating core stage. In addition, to allow every member of the audience to see Sheeran up close, six double-sided displays in the style of guitar picks were strung from poles around the stage. Show designer, Mark Cunniffe, was able to produce breathtaking visuals to accompany this magnificent production.

Ed Sheeran is renowned for his captivating live performances; even while performing alone, he was able to produce potent acoustic backgrounds that seemed impossibly difficult without the support of a live band. Being a highly distinguished user of the looper pedal, Sheeran was able to replicate the effect of having backing musicians as a solo performer.

There were several factors that contributed to Sheeran’s concert being so enjoyable. He is undoubtedly very charming, modest, and kind with his time. His interactions with the audience were unmatched in comparison to many artists. Given that his modesty is what enables him to create the type of music he produces; he didn’t need to use any needlessly self-demeaning humour to come across as genuine.

With merely a voice and a guitar, no standard person could capture the interest of a packed stadium, but Ed Sheeran is certainly not an ordinary man. He could be singing to joy or grief, he could be by himself or alongside a band, no matter what, the intensity was unprecedentedly high from beginning to end.

 

 

 

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