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Ed Sheeran at the Palladium

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Courtesy of Paula Verkuylen
Courtesy of Paula Verkuylen

The British Invasion’s most artistic musician left members of the audience in tears. Ed Sheeran, a singer-songwriter from England, sold out 4,000 tickets at Hollywood Palladium on Saturday, Feb. 9.

Many people arrived at Hollywood Palladium early in the morning in order to obtain the best standing room. The crowd was primarily a mixture between mid-teens and middle-aged females. Throughout the show, deafening screams nearly drowned out Sheeran’s commentary onstage.

Sheeran’s concert is a mixture of upbeat sing-alongs and almost silent numbers. He dubbed the audience his “Gospel Choir of Los Angeles” in order to get everyone to sing when asked. To get the rowdy crowd to keep quiet he used a three-step method to silence the crowd. First was the universal shush. The second was to rub the offenders’ shoulders to get their attention during the performance. Third was to shrug and make a sad face, guilting them into silence.

Ed Sheeran’s debut album “+” reached number one on the UK album chart. The album’s popularity has required Sheeran to go on tour and perform his favorite tracks for his fans. Sheeran expressed to the audience that during his two-week break from touring, he was anxious to get back out on the road. Sheeran’s quirky stage presence captivated the audience, but all of his silliness vanishes when he starts to inspire the audience through his music. There was no band to back up the singer, so Sheeran used a loop pedal to create textured beats for every track.

“I like that he uses a loop pedal. He truly does create everything on his own,” Kaitlin from Santa Rosa said.

Sheeran opened with “Give Me Love,” and the crowd quickly joined in with a deafening sing-along. It was an untraditional opening number because it is a slow love song, but fans responded well to Sheeran’s popular romantic ballad. He quickly transitioned into another one of his hit songs, “Drunk.”

During his performances of “Grade 8” and “Gold Rush,” Sheeran mashed up his original song with other popular music. The odd blend of “California Love” by 2Pac and “Grade 8” got the audience to go crazy relating to their home state. “Don’t Worry Be Happy” mixed with “Gold Rush” had the audience and Sheeran smiling through the entire performance.

“I really enjoyed the concert. It had extra remixes that was a change from the traditional CD lineup,” Emmeline from Fountain Valley said.

Sheeran rounded out his set with self-proclaimed “weirdest, silliest, saddest song,” “Wake Me Up,” and fan favorite “Lego House.” At this point Sheeran told the audience that this would be the last song. The sarcasm detected in his voice let the audience know he would be back for more.

After leaving the audience for five minutes, Sheeran came back for his epic 15-minute performance of “You Need Me I Don’t Need You.” During this performance, Rizzle Kicks, a British rap duo, came onstage to rap freestyle, stormtroopers graced the stage to add more shock and Sheeran divided the audience into the Jets and the Sharks to recreate the classic battle scene in “West Side Story.”

Sheeran concluded with his number one single and Grammy-nominated song “A-Team.” Sheeran’s last request was for the audience to hold up their lights and sing along as loud as they could. Sheeran’s amazing performance and interactions with the crowd demonstrate his passion for creating music and inspiring his fans.