Ed Sheeran - 20 March 2015, Brisbane Riverstage

On a humid Friday evening, as thousands of eager fans streamed into the Riverstage ready for a glimpse of the man of the hour, Ed Sheeran, I found myself wondering what kind of show we were about to witness. The powerhouse frontman backed by a band full of talented musicians? The full light show that ever so often overshadows the performer on the stage? I should have known better. Shame on me. Ed Sheeran didn’t need any of these fancy things to enhance his sold out show. He just needed a guitar, an effects pedal, and undeniable gem of a voice.

Opening the evening was little known artist Conrad Sewell. The Brisbane born lad certainly has a set of pipes, and I found myself captivated during his entire set. With just David, his piano man, to accompany him on the large, empty stage, he worked the crowd while also projecting his evocative voice to back of the grass. His tune “Remind me” was very captivating, while “Beautiful Life” was more fun and quirky, however it was his cover of Michael Jackson’s “PYT” that really stuck with me. A great opening set from the rookie.

Up next was Englishman Jamie Lawson. Coming on stage only with his guitar; the acoustic artist brought us a very different vibe. He showcased some really pleasant, appealing vocals that had a certain roughness to it.

After not too long, it was time for the man himself, Ed Sheeran. With just his guitar and effects pedals he brought us almost two hours of divinity. In what was essentially an acoustic show he said, “it is my job to entertain you, and it is your job top be entertained.” And entertain us he did; all 10,000 of us. I never knew that a guitar could be played in so many different ways. He used it as a drum kit, as a drum machine, as a bass, not to mention just as a guitar. Sheeran has a sophistication about his playing that evident throughout all of his songs, though it was particularly exquisite in “Tenerife Sea”.

Although Ed had a case of the “man-flu”, he played all his huge songs from his sophomore release, X, as well as material from his debut, +, without any signs of fatigue. I guess it helped that he had 10,000 back up singers carrying him through. He opened with “I’m a Mess” and “Lego House” before showing off his rap skills. I didn’t even know he rapped. Again, shame on me. There were also a bunch of amazing mash-ups of original songs and covers; for example, “Take it Back” crossed with both “Superstition” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”. Amazing. For me though, it was the middle of the set where the true magic happened; “I See Fire” was just exquisite! And of course for his encore he chose “Sing” with which to end the comprehensive performance.

It was such a humid night and everyone was a sweaty mess after singing up a storm. It still blows my mind that on the massive Riverstage it was just him, just Ed Sheeran on stage captivating a venue full of adoring fans with loops and loops of layered bliss. There is definitely a reason why there are three sold-out Brisbane shows among the dozen or more sold out performance across Australia.