The Nokia theater at LA Live was packed. Teenage girls were dressed up as fairies, pirates and other random costumes since today was Ed Sheeran’s birthday. One guy even had a storm trooper costume. Once the lights dimmed, piercing screams from the mouths of thirteen and fourteen year olds made me clamp my hands over my eyers. I’ll admit, I was annoyed with the shrieks and constant hair flipping. But once his voice boomed and echoed through out the theater I stood up and joined in on the excitement.
His opening act was Foy Vance from Illinois. Or I think that’s where he was from. He had a heavy Irish accent. Now that I think of it, I think he said he was from Northern Ireland. His accent wasn’t the only thing that was strong, his voice was definitely very bold and powerful. He layered his own different harmonic voices with his guitar and bass, creating a memorable musical experience. His folk style prepped us for the main headliner.
The second opener was Rizzle Kicks. These guys came in dressed up as batman and robin as they rapped in their cockney accents. They certainly got the crowd going when they started dancing and swaying their hips!
Then there was Ed. Words cannot even express how sweet, authentic and smooth his voice is. His lyrics left his lips with great ease, which would surprise me at some moments when he would rap. My favorite moments were when he fused rap with his singing, carrying each verse with a melodic tune. Like his first opening gig, he also layered his voice with bass, strums and harmonics. It’s freakin crazy how talented this guy is. Each performance was fresh and engaging. There was never a dull moment. His voice was light, but his lyrics were deep, with each meaning of every word and every lyric resonating in all of us. I literally could close my eyes and feel the stories he tells. That’s literally what he’s doing, giving life lessons and bed time stories through music.
Besides his incredible voice (which is better live), the guy is really cool. He watches Buffy the vampire slayer, he is very comedic and likes to take pictures of his audience. He called us his gospel choir bc he included us in his performances which made the experience all the more memorable. Then my favorite song came on. kiss me literally made my heart melt. Especially when he told us the story behind it. Basically the song is based off his parents who have been best friends for 50 years and just recently got married. Comes to show that true love can never be too late.
Tonight, I fell in love with Ed Sheeran. Amazing night. Wonderful job and happy birthday!
NIKKI SHERI 