UK Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran kicks off tour at Bayou Music Center

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, 20, or the “Ginger Jesus,” as his fans like to call him, started his first ever headlining tour in America at the Bayou Music Center on Jan. 17. 

Sheeran is most famous for his multi-platinum and Grammy nominated single “The A-Team” that has received a lot of radio play in America and Great Britain. He does not only pen songs for himself, but has also written three songs for the British boy band One Direction, including their hit “Little Things,” and has collaborated with pop singer Taylor Swift for her latest album Red. 

Although he is just beginning to make waves in America, Sheeran has been performing for many years in small venues around the UK. In the MTV show This Is How I Made It, he revealed that he had been performing various intimate shows from the time he left his parent’s house at 16 years old. Sheeran also divulges that his momentum, rise to the top of the charts and substantial fan base only came when he started releasing independent EPs. The shows started getting bigger and bigger, until finally he was headlining his own tour.

Even though he is now playing very large shows such as the massive Bayou Music Center venue (the show was originally supposed to take place at the House of Blues, but demand for the show was so enormous that it was moved to the Bayou Music Center), Sheeran still does a phenomenal job of keeping his show so intimate that made one feel as if they were in a small café surrounded by only a few people.

Sheeran is probably one of the only performers I know that can get a crowd full of screaming teenage girls to be absolutely silent for some of his slower songs such as “Small Bump” and “Kiss Me” off his debut album +. The only thing that breaks the silence is Sheeran’s beautiful velvety voice, the strumming of his guitar and the occasional beat-box. He has identified his sound as “acoustic soul” as he implements hip-hop, R&B and soul influences in his music, which is very fitting because of the fact that his musical influences are acoustic singer-songwriter Damien Rice and rapper Eminem, as he stated in Interview Magazine. 

One of the songs in which he showcased his beat-boxing and rapping skills is “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” One of the more hype songs in his catalog, he encouraged the audience, or as he called us, his “gospel choir for the evening,” to sing the chorus while he played guitar. It was the most interactive concert I have ever been to and that added to the intimacy and personal connection that the audience had with Sheeran.  

Sheeran had his guitar most of the time up on stage with him, as is custom with most singer-songwriter performances, but what made his performance unique was that he had a loop pedal, which is a device that allows the performer to record his voice, and then the machine will play it back. Sheeran was allowed to harmonize with himself and add a beat-box to his songs. This was definitely a cool aspect of his show. 

I was expecting him to be a great live singer and pretty basic with his guitar, which he was. Even he has stated that his guitar-playing is not the most revolutionary, but what he wants to be remembered for being a great guitarist, but a great entertainer and with that being said, I believe he has achieved his goal. 

He put on a fantastic show with no band behind him, and only a guitar, loop pedal and his voice. Sheeran is really one of the best entertainers of his generation.