Following in the footsteps of Rupert Grint as the latest red headed heartthrob, Sheeran has released two albums fittingly entitled + (Plus) and x (Multiply), as this is what seems to be happening to the size of his fanbase with every song he releases. As mentioned before, he has topped the charts with two singles from x: the acoustic hip shaker that is Sing and the slow dance number Thinking Out Loud, which has helped the album become the fastest selling album of the year. Now that you have a little back story that you didn't ask for, and let's face it, you almost certainly know everything about this guy because you can't escape him, let's move on to the matter at hand.
As a well respected UK pop artist, Ed is climbing high up festival hierarchies, with a sub-headliner position at V Festival and a high billing on the final day of Glastonbury ticked off this year. Festivals are a great way for Ed to showcase his bouncy anthem side, where tunes like Sing will leave people reciting the main hook until they get back to their flooded tents, but also a place to raise your lighters and croon along to The A Team with your friends arm in arm. He stands there with his favourite trademark acoustic guitar and a loop pedal, and makes it seem like there is a small band playing. His back catalogue is laden with single after single, and with only two albums released, it's a big feat to have so many recognisable songs at your disposal. Although, John Giddings, the man responsible for organising the Isle of Wight Festival, claimed that if acts like Ed Sheeran are the future of festival headliners, then "we're all screwed" due to him being "boring". So it doesn't look like he'll be topping that festival bill any time soon.
Recently, Ed announced that he would be playing a show at Wembley Stadium in July 2015 as part of his world tour, and then later announced that he would be playing two more shows on the same weekend at the home of English football. A bold move indeed, but could it pay off? This is a man at the top of his game, and everything he touches seems to turn to gold, but is it too soon to have him pinned down as a stadium act? Is he even right for a stadium? Will he have enough fans to want to pay that much money to see him in a stadium on three occasions? I've brought this up a few times with people close to me, and a couple of times on Twitter, and instead of an informed response, I've had people either claim I'm jealous of him (right...), or people have attacked my favourite bands who have gone on to headline Wembley Stadium, saying that if they headlined Wembley, why can't Ed Sheeran? My answer is a simple one: because they're bands who can put on a stadium show. Muse, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Oasis, Metallica, The Killers - their music is tailor made for stadiums where over 80,000 people can go nuts to loud, gargantuan rock songs; their songs fill every metre of Wembley.
At this moment in time, Ed Sheeran has been performing alone on stage. I can't see that live presence translating well into a headline stadium show, which is why I hope he takes advantage of the occasion and either turns his performances into a Take That-esque show, or at least brings a full band with him. Eminem headlined Wembley in the summer, and he brought a whole band with him, who, when I saw them at Reading Festival, were amazing. If Slim Shady turned up to that kind of gig armed only with an MC and a set of turntables then I'd say that was an opportunity wasted. What I'm hoping is that Sheeran has the ammunition to pull this off, which could come in the form of a backing band when he needs it for certain songs (which he recently showed he can do with his performance on X Factor a few weeks ago), or guest stars when necessary (Taylor Swift, Pharrell etc.). Even his support acts will help show that he has the credibility to fill one of the greatest venues in the world, and to paraphrase a line from his early single You Need Me, I Don't Need You, I hope he brings Damien Rice along for the ride.
I'm not expecting a light show out of the idea book of Kraftwerk, or an elephant standing on it's hind legs blowing the hook to Sing from its trunk as it suddenly grows wings and flies out of the stadium. I just hope he steps up to the plate, and proves he has the capacity to expand. If you want him to stand there and play his guitar, fair enough, but it would be interesting to see if it works; I won't rule anything out. Ed is a showman, and he gets the crowd involved, which is one of his strongest qualities as a performer. However, is he more Wembley Arena than Wembley Stadium? Only one way to find out I guess.
To quote Anthony Fantano, the internet's busiest music nerd, y'all know this is just my opinion, right?
I'm not expecting a light show out of the idea book of Kraftwerk, or an elephant standing on it's hind legs blowing the hook to Sing from its trunk as it suddenly grows wings and flies out of the stadium. I just hope he steps up to the plate, and proves he has the capacity to expand. If you want him to stand there and play his guitar, fair enough, but it would be interesting to see if it works; I won't rule anything out. Ed is a showman, and he gets the crowd involved, which is one of his strongest qualities as a performer. However, is he more Wembley Arena than Wembley Stadium? Only one way to find out I guess.
To quote Anthony Fantano, the internet's busiest music nerd, y'all know this is just my opinion, right?
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