With a last minute opener change from Foy Vance to singer, songwriter Ben Kweller, the lights dimmed and Ed Sheeran hit the Frank Erwin Center stage promptly at 8:30 p.m. With a crowd comprised mostly of a female audience, the fever pitch shrieks when he started off his set with “I’m a Mess” from his latest 2014 album entitled X. Other than guitar changes and a little assistance with gear, Sheeran performed solo all night, only accompanied by his looper, guitars, and mic stands. His stage was simple, containing only a variety of projection screens behind him where video clips were displayed, and two silver boxes from which he often stood on to perform.
Sheeran’s vocals were often far from smooth or perfect but it clearly didn’t matter. His underlying message was clear, he wanted his fans to join him and sing loudly and proudly until everyone was left hoarse.
While Sheeran was performing his ballad “All of the Stars,” he called out a man in the 2nd row who had been holding up a sign. He announced that he didn’t really know what would happen next but invited the man and his girlfriend up on stage to join him. He sat down to watch as the man publicly confessed his love, saying “he knew there was no way he could let her go once he realized how “amazing” and “talented” she was, not to mention “so beautiful, inside and out,” then dropped to one knee, and popped the question “Will you be my wife?”…. Spoiler Alert: she said “YES!”