I saw Ed Sheeran for the first time in 8 years – and never want to see him again

Ed Sheeran used to be one of my favourite artists. I excitedly paid £30 to see his Divide tour in Birmingham, desperate to hear his early hits live.

But in the years since 2017, he has really fallen off my radar despite continuing to release incredibly popular tracks.

While Ed remains a massive artist, he’s often seen as a self-confessed ‘meme’.

It felt almost embarrasing to admit you were a fan, mirroring the ridicule directed at Coldplay or Nickelback. Liking Ed had become a confession of basic taste.

However, that energy falls away when you actually see him performing on stage. He was meant to sing in intimate venues, with nothing but his guitar and a loop pedal.

He did just that at his Spotify Billions Club gig in Dublin on Monday, playing all his hits, which had over 1billion streams on the music platform (plus some extras for fun).

While The Thinking Out Loud singer hasn’t changed much about his performance since I last saw him, he doesn’t need to.

Ed explained to the enthusiastic crowd that he had chosen to host his secret show in Dublin as this was a city that had always supported him.

That love for the Shape of You singer was evident in the room as one woman linked arms with her son, belting all his biggest songs. And boy, does he have some big songs.

He rattled through the classics with ease, opening with Sapphire before singing a personal favourite of mine — A Team.

The song reminded me that he’s been in this game for over 15 years now, an unwavering voice both in the charts and as a prolific songwriter.

During the evening, Ed chose to perform a mashup of all the billion-stream songs he features on, including Justin Bieber and more.

It’s a stark reminder of how much he writes outside of his own music, making his artistry only more impressive.

Here, he rather humbly forgot the intro to Beautiful People, explaining after the song that his mind went ‘blank’, which he admitted was a little embarrassing.

Despite his success, Ed came across as charming and down to earth, with only a loop pedal and a fiddle player by his side.

His rendition of Castle on the Hill marked a real high, getting the crowd up and dancing even more than Galway Girl.

Maybe the Irish audience is a little sick of hearing the track, but this seemed to be the only song to get a lukewarm response from the crowd.

That being said, Ed put on a stunning show. He was made for smaller, more intimate venues despite being able to sell out stadiums.

It takes real talent, both as a songwriter and a musician, to walk out on a stage with nothing but your guitar, keyboard, and voice but create a full symphony of sound.

His loop pedal has become a signature of his gigs now, with Ed making it look so effortless that we forget how much skill it takes.

The show was filled with banger after banger, including Perfect, Happier and, yes, even Bad Habits.

Ed is a faultless musician who I imagine could put on a fantastic show busking on Grafton Street just as much as any venue.

The evening was a perfect blend of nostalgia, fun and downright good music. I almost never want to see him again; he couldn’t possibly top that show.

That being said, his 10-year Glastonbury headline anniversary is coming up, so maybe a full circle Worthy Farm set could compete with Dublin after all.

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