Ed Sheeran proves you don’t need spectacle for a good show

People like Roger Waters incorporate political panache into a live performance and it’s effective and crowd pleasing. For those who sing and play the guitar, packing a wallop in a live show isn’t easy. You need to incorporate bigger elements – unless you’re Ed Sheeran.

The British superstar proves that you don’t need spectacle for a good show, you just need to establish a mood with song and a guitar.

Sheeran is not only behind the most successful live tour of 2018, his Divide World Tour sold out two shows at FNB Stadium last week. Last night and tonight it was Cape Town’s turn.

If you’re on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook this week, you would have seen your fair share of a packed calabash stadium.

Ed Sheeran performs at FNB Stadium. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

The concert was the first high-profile one for Stadium Management SA and Big Concerts following the marred Global Citizen Festival. That debacle ended in a crime spree near the stadium precinct in December.

This time, all parties were on board to deliver a streamlined concert and it really showed. Praise for the organisers followed in full force after fans gushed about the tour itself.

From smooth-running parking arrangements and public transport, visible policing and clear maps, the organisers made it effortless for concertgoers.

The shows opened with a perfect set from South African singer Shekhinah.

At big concerts, the stadium is usually nearly empty during the opening acts, which provide background music as people buy their final rounds and shuffle into the stadium. But this time, there were singalongs booming out from everywhere.

Michael Rosenberg, known as Passenger, opens for Ed Sheeran at FNB Stadium. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Indie folk rocker Passenger also buttered up the crowd before Sheeran’s first appearance. Passenger provided a complimentary sound leading into Sheeran’s set and it was pandemonium when he finally took to the stage.

Considering his last appearance in South Africa was with Beyoncé at the Global Citizen Festival where they closed the show, expectations were high. If you were in the front lines, you couldn’t help but get swept up in the joy.

Attendances for Sheeran shows are now ranked in the top four for the venue.

If you were in the stadium on any of the two nights, you are probably already wondering if the next top act could come close to the Sheeran experience at FNB stadium.

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