It may have been more than two years since Cardiff's Principality Stadium played host to live music, but Ed Sheeran certainly made up for lost time as he kicked off his three-night run in the Welsh capital. Four years after the chart-topping star last graced the city in 2018, the atmosphere in Cardiff on Thursday, May 26 was electric in anticipation as live music returned to the city's biggest stage.
And the Shape Of You superstar didn't disappoint as he started his Welsh leg of his 'Mathematics' tour. With a mix of old classics, as well as some of the newer tunes, the audience left the stadium with more than their fair share of the 'busker boy done good'. If you're going to see Ed tomorrow (Friday) or Saturday, find out all you need to know, from parking to timings, here. Find out about road closures around Ed's gig, here and what merch is on sale.
With anticipation bubbling from Westgate Street into the stadium, the atmosphere was eagerly eaten up by support acts Dylan and Maisie Peters - both signed to the headline act's label - as fans continued to arrive for the main event. Maisie has garnered an army of fans in her own right after recently shooting to success on TikTok. That being said she was forging her fortunes long before the viral app with this stadium tour some of her biggest gigs yet.
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Despite the rain and the grey skies, by the time the main act Mr Sheeran arrived on stage the atmosphere in the huge 75,000 capacity stadium was palpable. If there was a roof to be blown off (the shutters were open this time around) it certainly would be as the chants started to build. By this point, it was more evident than ever that huge stadium gigs have been missed these last two and a bit years.
After a 10-minute long countdown, Sheeran arrived on stage at 8:15pm, and would not leave it until his huge 130 minute set was complete. Kicking off the night with perhaps an unusual choice in 'Tides' off his latest album =, the crowd were soon on board as he moved seamlessly into the rocky 'BLOW'.
As early in the set as these opening numbers were, it was clear to see that Sheeran had more showmanship than ever, with the set itself much more of a 'show' than previous tours. With a rounded stage in the centre of the stadium, complete with a spinning platform, despite being a solo artist he easily captivated the crowds. He moved around the stage - a lot of the time without his guitar - a world away from his early performances.
Unusually, both opening numbers were played with a full band - an intentional move away from his single loop pedal performances that he has become famed for. Addressing the crowd, wearing a simple black T-shirt with 'Cardiff' embezzled on both the front and the back, he said: "I know it's [the show] a bit different from last time but I wanted to kick off with something different. Thank you for coming out on a wet Thursday night.
"The aim of the game with this show is to play as many songs as you know as possible". And that's certainly what he did, heading into fan favourite 'I'm a Mess', straight into recent chart-topper 'Shiver'. By this point the famous Welsh weather was having its way, and the stage was getting noticeably damper, to which he said "this stage is going to get wet from the rain, if I do slip, and you do capture it on film, be gentle."
The Suffolk raised artist, whose partner gave birth to his second child this week, was well in his element now launching into his first hit which catapulted him to fame, 'The A Team'. Cashing in on the recent nostalgia, he quickly moved into what is undoubtedly one of his best known tunes 'Castle On The Hill' which had the audience bouncing. Keeping the momentum going to launched into a fiesty 'Don't' which he mashed into Blackstreet's classic, 'No Diggidy'.
In what was probably the biggest lull of the gig, album track Tenerife Sea and somber Visting Hours seemed to fall a little flat. But this wasn't for long, as he launched into upbeat numbers 'Beautiful People', 'I Don't Care', and 'Overpass Graffiti' almost without pausing for breath.
In what was undoubtedly a highlight of the gig, during popular 'Galway Girl', he was joined on stage by a live fiddler who was a real crowd pleaser. Another highlight for many was when he sang Justin Beiber's hit 'Love Yourself' which, in the worst kept secret in the music industry, Sheeran actually wrote. Fans ate the cover straight out of his hands.
By this point it was more than evident that Sheeran is now worlds away from his humble beginnings as a sofa-surfing busker who started out "playing student house parties in living rooms in Cardiff and Swansea" as he had earlier mused. Reminding the crowd how there is no backing track at his live shows with every sound created live, it really is impressive to see a solo artist commandeer such a large stage.
Hit 'Sing' soon had the crowd back up and dancing, before the mood was doused slightly with a tender versions of 'Photograph' and Perfect' - the latter Sheeran said was the favourite song he had ever written. As part of the stage slowly lowered around him as he played 'Afterglow', the single that catapulted him back into the spotlight last year, the crowd weren't satisfied yet.
Emerging for the encore in a Welsh rugby jersey, the last three songs were a prime example of how and why the singer continues to pack out stadium after stadium. You would've been hard to find anyone not on their feet for the last 15-minutes of the gig, with the atmosphere now more ferocious than ever.
'Shape Of You', which unbelievably was released over 5 years ago in January 2017 got people dancing in their seats, before recent hit 'Bad Habits' really hammered the set home. But it was his final song 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' which was the performance of the evening.
The intensity of the loop pedal, how Sheeran moved around the stage faster and freer than he had all evening, all combined with the relentless lyrics created the perfect crescendo of a finale. Famed from his first album, it hammered home what he is known best for, while showing off how his performances and musical technique has evolved to the heights we see in his live performances today.
Although tonight wasn't a sell out, you wouldn't be able to tell - which can only build the excitement for Saturday's full house bash. Ed will play two more nights at the Welsh capital, and if tonight's debut is anything to go by then for fans it will have been worth the wait.
