What? A concert review? That’s never before been done as one of the weekly blogs that have run on this site for over four years now. How does that help the readers who are aspiring performers? And besides, who ever heard of running a concert review five days after the show took place?
It’s all rather unconventional, but then again, so was the concert I attended last Wednesday night when Ed Sheeran performed at a packed Raymond James Stadium here in Tampa. And yes, there are takeaways from it for those who are up-and-coming musicians who read what gets published in this space every Monday and/or listen to the “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast episodes that come out every Wednesday.
Sheeran played for approximately 105 minutes, which was one of the few negatives I could manage to scrounge up from the night. I’m tempted to bring up the ticket prices in relation to “only” performing for one-and-three-quarter hours, but instead I’ll point to Sheeran “only” being 27 years old while Bruce Springsteen, age 69, does concerts that are four hours long – with no intermission.
The importance of great sound equipment and audio engineering was also on display as there were some spoken words I couldn’t make out, although clearly Sheeran’s accent had a lot to do with that.
But most impressive was him doing the entire show by himself – no backing band, no dancers, and no other singers. While I’m tempted to say, “Just him and his guitar,” I admired his extensive use of the loop station. What’s more, even though I’m abundantly aware of what it is, I admired him recognizing that many folks don’t, and pointing it out immediately, after his first song. He made clear to the audience that everything was live. Educating the audience and making an important point were not lost on this attendee who is a big advocate of sharing information and assuming nothing.
What was also a real classy move was Sheeran acknowledging the two opening acts. But, he didn’t just say, “Hey, how about Lauv and Snow Patrol?” He talked about each one and, with regards to the latter, even mentioned that his first time in America he opened for them over in Orlando! On “Now Hear This Entertainment” I’ve talked to a LOT of performers that have opened for major national acts and there have been few, if any, that have talked about getting that type of credit and promotion from the headliner.
Call me sentimental, but it also went a long way with this football fan when Sheeran came out for his encore wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. Just in case there were still people in the crowd that he hadn’t won over yet, that likely pulled them across the finish line.
For a show that was “just” him on-stage, I was impressed with the extent of the light show and rear screen projections too.
All of his dialogue with the crowd just felt downright genuine. Many artists will just say the name of the city (once, maybe twice) to make it sound like they personalized it, but Sheeran’s many (many) references to “Tampa” came across one more sincere than the next. I felt that he honestly was “happy to be here.”
This was consistent with his wit and charm throughout the show as he spoke to the packed stadium. He was engaging, entertaining, and real. When he acknowledged two types of people who didn’t want to be there, ticket prices, traffic challenges, and even folks (like him) who sit still at a concert (even though they’re enjoying it as much as the person singing and dancing), he meant what he said and said what he meant.
Did he deliver and make an impact with his performance, leaving fans talking about it the next day? I’m here to say he did one better, what with this blogger still looking back fondly five days later. Hopefully your performances are doing the same for those that come to watch/hear you.
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