REVIEW: Ed Sheeran brings a ‘perfect’ performance to Houston

Ed Sheeran has been on a non-stop tour since the release of his hit album, “÷” (Divide), in early 2017.

He returned to Houston on Nov. 3 to perform at Minute Maid Park as part of his 2018 North American stadium tour. As his opening acts, Ed Sheeran brought along newcomer Lauv, famous for his song “I Like Me Better,” and Snow Patrol, best known for their song “Chasing Cars.”

Lauv opened the show with some of his lesser-known songs along with a few of his popular hits. He spoke of his amazement at playing such large venues. Snow Patrol performed next mingling classic hits with more recent material. Snow Patrol told the audience of how one of their past Houston shows was fraught with issues and how they feel the need to make up for it.

Sheeran, who is famous for performing with only a microphone, guitar and his trusty loop pedal, opened his portion of the show with an energetic rendition of “Castle on the Hill.” He followed this performance by speaking to the audience about a little song that helped him reach the big time called “The A Team.”

He took the time in between songs to thank the “disinterested boyfriends” and the “super dads” for coming along to the show as well. He described the “disinterested boyfriends” as the guys who are only there to humor their girlfriends, who do not really care for his music and are consciously trying to avoid anyone they may know. The “super dads,” on the other hand, were described as the dads who were there for the happiness of their kids.

“You’re giving up a night of your life to do something for someone you love, so thank you,” Sheeran said as a shoutout to the “disinterested boyfriends” and the “super dads.”       

Sheeran played quite a few of his hits such as, “Galway Girl,” “Thinking Out Loud,” “Photograph” and “Perfect.” He also played songs that are well known to fans, but not as familiar to radio listeners such as, “Nancy Mulligan,” “Tenerife Sea” and “Dive.” He also did a couple of mashups along the way including one using his songs “Don’t” and “New Man.”

He mock-finished the show with his 2x platinum hit “Sing,” then walked off stage to thunderous applause only to reappear wearing a Houston Astros jersey. He finished off his show with high energy renditions of “Shape of You” and “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” The closing of the show was also phenomenal because the audience could really tell that Sheeran was giving his all for his finale.

Overall, the show was amazing. The opening acts helped to cultivate a high energy within the crowd and the atmosphere was almost palpable during Sheeran’s set. A favorite moment was Sheeran’s performance of “Bloodstream” as the beat of this song feels as if it is within one’s chest.    

This show was the third to last stop on Sheeran’s 2018 North American tour. He will finish off this tour with a show in Tampa and Atlanta. Next year is shaping up to be a busy year for Sheeran as well with tour dates in Latin America in February, South Africa in March, Asia in April and Europe from May until August. For more information, visit http://www.edsheeran.com.