The last time I attended an Ed Sheeran concert in Mumbai was in 2017. It was the first gig my boyfriend and I watched together as a couple, and it served as the perfect romantic date night. When I heard the artist was coming down once again to the city — his third visit, the first being in 2015 — I was eager to relive that moment. Six years later though, my partner seems to have developed a liking for techno music and declined my earnest invitation. Oh well, his loss. But I didn’t go alone to the concert. My father decided to accompany me, and I’m glad he did.
As a self-proclaimed serial concert attendee, I usually like to go ahead, closer to the stage, to enjoy the artist’s performance. But at Ed Sheeran’s India leg and the final stop of the artist’s record-breaking Mathematical (+-=÷x) Tour, you could enjoy the show with a drink and snacks from afar. And that’s exactly what we did thanks to the first-of-its-kind 360-degree circular, revolving stage and stadium-style setup that ensured everyone in the audience enjoyed a view of the artist from any angle in the venue.
With Ed singing some of his hit tracks like ‘Shape Of You’ and ‘Thinking Out Loud’, to taking us on a trip down memory lane with ‘The A Team’ and ‘Lego House’, he delivered an electrifying performance. The surprise guest performances from Armaan Malik singing ‘2step’ with the artist and later Diljit Dosanjh singing ‘Lover’ along with Ed only elevated the experience. Ed singing in Punjabi will surely go down in history.
Prior to the concert, Ed spent seven days in the city, where he visited a school and swapped performances with kids, met Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Shubhman Gill, and shook a leg with the Malik brothers at a Mumbai bar. It was during this time that I, too, managed to meet him for a quick chat ahead of his tour.
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ELLE: What is the reason for naming your albums after mathematical symbols?
Ed Sheeran (ES): It gave me a circle within which to write music. For instance ‘+’ (Plus) was meant to be like an addition to all the EPs, so it was going to sound like that. ‘X’ (Multiply) was going to take what Plus didn’t make a bigger sound and broad- er, and ‘÷’ (Divide) would be a double album with two different sounds on it. ‘-’ (Subtract) would be subtracting and stripping it back, and ‘=’ (Equals) would be all of those records in one.
ELLE: What’s your favourite childhood memory related to music?
ES: It would be seeing Damien Rice in Dublin. I realised you didn’t have to be in a band to make music. I remember seeing Rice on stage with an acoustic guitar, thinking I can do that too. It’s the most memorable concert I’ve attended as a fan. That was the gig that made me want to be a singer-songwriter.
ELLE: Is there any Indian artist you’d like to collaborate with?
ES: Yeah, I’ve been listening to a lot of King recently, so we’ll see.
ELLE: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
ES: Well, I’m terrified of heights. And I did a canyon swing in New Zealand, where you’re at the top of a mountain, and they chuck you down on a rope, and it was the worst five minutes of my life. That was quite adventurous, but I would never do it again. I meant to cure my fear of heights, but it just worsened it.
ELLE: When you’re not busy touring or working on a new song, what do you like to do?
ES: I like to spend time with my family. That would be the main thing. If it’s not that, then I like to paint.
ELLE: What are you working on next?
ES: I’ve gotten a new album that I’ve made. I don’t know when I’m going to put it out or how I’m going to put it out. But it’s finished. So we’ll see.
Watch the full interview here:
Photograph Courtesy: RVR16
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