Greeted with a massive Rebel County roar, more than 40,000 Irish fans gave the first date of Ed Sheeran's latest European tour a ringing endorsement.
Among the crowd at Parc Ui Chaoimh last night was 25-year-old “superfan” Siobhan Jones-Evans, who has chalked down the first of the nine Irish dates that Sheeran will play in the coming weeks. Her mobile phone was stolen during Sheeran’s barnstorming set, but even that failed to dampen her night.
"Even though I was trying to get home without Google Maps, I was still thinking, "that was one of the best shows I've been to. I don't know if it's because it's been a while since I saw Ed, but the stage has been upgraded a massive amount since the last tour," she says.
Everything in the new production is fascinating. If Ed hits the guitar and makes a (sound) loop, an image matches everything he’s doing on screen.
The Cork crowd certainly played their part in making it a night to remember.
"Ed was bouncing off the crowd, and was really happy the whole way through," observes Siobhan. "There's nothing like being in a home crowd. Go to a concert in London, and everyone is just standing around, singing the occasional song. In Ireland, the crowd belts out every single song. I could hear the people around me more than Ed, which was great.
“I’d say he was sticking to what he knows best as the set list was pretty much the same as the last 3 Arena show,” adds Siobhan. “It’s very much a stadium setlist, desined to keep a big crowd going. If he went any slower, it probably wouldn’t have worked too well. I was hoping he might do something a little different, but with it being the first night, he was probably getting his feet wet.”
Chief among her advice for attendees of Sheeran's forthcoming Irish dates is to get in early enough to catch the support acts Beoga, Jamie Lawson and Anne Marie.
“Anne Marie is just so energetic and fun – made for stadiums, really,” says Siobhan. “I know a lot of people will only come to the venue when the main act is on stage, but I think they will surprise this crowd and leave with more than a few new fans.”
As to whether Sheeran might change things up as the tour continues, Siobhan adds: “I think he will. He tends to all the time. If anything, last night made me excited for the rest of the dates.
