Ed Sheeran takes the windy city by storm

Thursday night at Soldier Field, Ed Sheeran takes the stage at 9:00 on the dot.

The crowd was ready for Sheeran, following two opening acts, Lauv, and American singer with the hit “I Like Me Better” and the band Snow Patrol, who hyped the crowd up by finishing their set with the long time hit “Chasing Cars.”

Sheeran may seem like the typical performer to most, yet seeing him perform live will smash those ideas.

He’s a one man band onstage, before each song he uses a loop pedal to record one part of his song so he has a backdrop to play another line over. The loop pedal enhances and layers Sheeran’s vocals by playing back his previously recorded melodies. This creates the sound of a full band when in reality Sheeran is the only one up there.

Sheeran began the concert with a single from ÷, “Castle On A Hill,” and quickly changed pace with the rap “Eraser.” He kept fans on their toes by switching to crowd favorite, “The A Team,” a slower song.

While it is clear Ed Sheeran is a talented performer with a variety of songs, his forte is clearly slower ballads. “Happier,” “Thinking Out Loud,” “Photograph,” and “Perfect” were popular with the audience, judging from the screams of the crowd.

The crowd seemed to love those songs, singing the lyrics back in a way they had not done with his faster paced songs. Lights were held up, and it was as if the crowd was a sea of stars. A stadium arena suddenly felt personal.

The regular setlist was ended with the well known song “Sing” and he soon came back for an encore and to sing two more songs. Sheeran first sang another single from ÷, “Shape of You” and sang an older hit “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”.

Both songs ended the concert on a high note, they were the “Perfect” way to end the night.

There’s no denying that Sheeran is a talented and dedicated performer who has come a far way. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Ed Sheeran.