(Photo courtesy of elektra.com)British acoustic pop and folk singer Ed Sheeran left young audiences — predominately teenage and college girls — starstruck and awed Wednesday night.
Mesa Amphitheatre sold out that evening with more than 4,000 attendees. The crowds started lining up before 10 a.m., and by 5 p.m., the crowds were so large that much of security spent their time keeping lines under control.
As soon as the mobs were let in, total chaos ensued and masses, of young girls wearing Ed Sheeran hand-made shirts, British representations and huge posters with marriage proposals flocked in and tried to make their way to the front rows. Pushing ,shoving, fainting and name-calling were the perks of being up in the front.
At one point, a young girl passed out, but the crowds were hesitant to let her get out in fear of losing their spot. As soon as Sheeran’s opening act came out to perform, masses couldn’t help but go wild and, as each minute passed, they grew more and more ecstatic.
About 45 minutes into the show, Sheeran finally came out to perform. That was the point when crowds became so loud and uncontrollable that he had to ask everyone to calm down. Fortunately, his soothing voice and British accent all had a charming effect on the audience, and the crowd became a little more bearable.
The crowd went crazy and chanted when he sang his ballads, “Give Me Love” and the famous, “A-Team.” Sheeran truly is a one-man show, playing all instruments himself with the help of his guitar and some pedals.
The ticket was well worth it; he truly does sound like he does in his CD. Sheeran sang a tribute to Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” as a special treat. People were singing and dancing along, and the atmosphere became very contagious.
Cell phones and cameras lit up the venue and, from far away, the combination of light and music became enthralling, making the moment magical and the perfect pre-Valentine’s Day concert.
If any Sun Devils missed this dazzling performance, then they are in luck. Sheeran will be returning on May 28 and 29, serving as Taylor Swift’s opening act.
Reach reporter at rlopez20@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @RosieLopez14.
