Ed Sheeran released tour dates earlier this year and personally I knew that I would end up going to at least one of his shows. He would be an hour and a half away from my hometown twice in July, and those were the dates I had my heart set on. While it wasn't until the night before that we had purchased tickets, it was still one of the most worth-while concerts I had been to in a long time.

The last time, and only other time, I had seen Ed Sheeran perform was at Jazzfest in New Orleans. That was an outdoor concert and his set was only about half an hour. It was much different than the concert experience he provided us with on the Divide Tour. The entire tour was indoors and he sang for over an hour and a half. Having the concert indoors made the acoustics much better and his voice traveled easier throughout the crowd. Indoors also meant that the audience was condensed into a specific boundary, which helped to connect the audience to him a little more. While he sang seventeen songs, it felt less because of the way he was able to flow from song to song and made each lead into another whether it be by story or just blending the music of the two songs.

One of the most important measures of his talent is that he is able to do entire songs and harmonies by himself. With the help of his loop pedal, he is able to mimic many instruments and other singers and still be the only person occupying the stage. Many artists find it difficult to harmonize with other people in a band, let alone themselves. Before every song, it takes him a few minutes to set up the pedal for what he is about to play. This introduction part gives the song a more genuine feel and makes it apparent to the audience that all of his sounds on the stage are truly coming from him. He also records other vocals on this pedal so that later on he is able to harmonize with himself. This gives his concert the feel of a band even though it is all done by one person.

An Ed Sheeran concert is truly an experience that every person should endure at least once in their lives. Even if you do not like his music, just watching him use the loop pedal and connect with the audience in ways that other artists cannot is worth the money you'd spend on a ticket. The concert was well worth the money and the long drive, and I hope to see him many more times in my future.