At British pop artist Ed Sheeran’s second night in Bengaluru on Feb. 9, 2025, you could tell fans weren’t just about to get a repeat of the night before. Sheeran, traveling through India as part of his + – = ÷ x Tour, was clear about it as well. “Yesterday was the biggest show of the tour, so I’m expecting big things from tonight,” he told the thousands in attendance.
Prior to jumping into Sheean’s set, Chennai-origin, Mumbai-based singer-songwriter Mali – with guitarist Apurv Isaac aka Lala – were on stage playing from across her discography, from the energetic, emotive pop-rock of songs like “Rush” and “Poor Girl’s Dream” to her 2023 Tamil song “Anniku Raathiri” and synth-led tunes like “Semi Automatic Butane.” It wasn’t her full setup but she made the most of it, especially Isaac. Once he stepped forward to play a solo on “Live Again” – even using his teeth – he was giving headliner energy and surprisingly, had people chanting “We want Lala!” Mali, with her mehndi fresh from being married just last week, was clearly having the time of her life as well. “This is the most insane crowd I’ve played to,” she said before closing with the more intimate “Play.”
In the audience were everyone from kids and their parents to friends, partners across ages and more, staging photoshoots, securing a good spot before Sheeran finally stepped on stage at around 7:30 pm. There was an instrumental, seemingly Indian music-informed song playing during his intro and we could guess it’s something he’s composed just for this run of shows in India.
It’s not so much that first strum that matters with Sheeran, it’s about when he starts looping and layering. Say what you may about the quality of his songwriting and vocal style, but the ability to perform to create loops and play to them every night and not mess it up is surely a hard-learned skill for the likes of Sheeran. He explains how everything heard is live, talking about looping music.
Of course, it was just earlier that day that his attempt at a busking gig on Church Street was stopped by Bengaluru police citing lack of permissions. Sheeran claimed on his social media that they had secured permission to perform, but law enforcement officials have denied this. Understandably, Sheeran didn’t make a single mention of it, focusing on giving his best with songs like “Castle On The Hill” that opened his set.
Immediately, you can tell there’s a simplicity he’s retained over the years that he could have easily discarded as he leveled up. But this is one of the many ways he wants to be perceived. The other way, of course, is a bona fide pop star, as he sets up his loops to keep the music layers going on songs like “Shivers,” makes the most of the space on his big stage to walk and jump around, starting a clap-along.
A lot of Sheeran’s set oscillates between these big, crowd-pleasing numbers and the more intimate, soft songs (“I’ve seen how loud you can sing, now I need you to be quiet. This is not your time,” he warns before singing “Tenerife Sea”). From major hits like “The A Team” to rap-led cuts like “Don’t/Nina” and “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and the chart-toppers like “Shape Of You” and “Perfect,” Sheeran is currently the best example of a singer-songwriter living their best dream. He’s able to play exactly what he wants and the way he wants it, earning the crowd’s attention throughout.
Among the most poignant moments was perhaps seeing “Eyes Closed” as a dedication to Sheeran’s close friend Jamal Edwards, who passed away in 2022. The artist announced it was going to be Edwards’ third death anniversary in 11 days and holding that sentiment dear, Sheeran performed the song almost entirely without opening his eyes, his head down.
Elsewhere, it was fully about seizing the moment. “If you don’t know the words, you’re honestly at the wrong concert,” he said before singing “Thinking Out Loud.” Songs like “Give Me Love” garner a huge singalong and Sheeran says at one point that he’ll be our vocal instructor. He proceeds to test it out with “Lego House,” an intimate, introspective song that has reached arena-level favorite status.
Among the mashups, there was “Don’t/Nina” followed by “Take It Back” going into Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” complete with the “I know/I know/I know” about 26 times.
The LED backdrop for Sheeran’s set provided an interactive, real-time dimension to his songs, from the fantastical visuals for “I See Fire” to lyrics urgently coming through for “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” There’s his version of Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” and songs like “Photograph” and “Sing” which see Sheeran in total serenader mode.
Among the revelations at Sheeran’s Bengaluru gig was bringing on singer Shilpa Rao for the Telugu song “Chuttamalle” from the movie Devara (after Punjabi with Diljit Dosanjh, it was Telugu with Rao)as well as the news that he’s made a “large amount” of his new album in India, specifically Goa.
In all, Sheeran had come back within a year to India after performing March 2024 in Mumbai to over 50,000 in attendance. He spoke about how he intentionally didn’t want to play Mumbai this time since all his previous shows were there. “It’s been amazing to come, travel and explore the culture,” he said. Sheeran’s tour now heads to Shillong (Feb. 12) and Delhi NCR (Feb. 15). “I’ll be coming back more and more,” he promised as he got into songs like “Bloodstream” and “Afterglow.”
For the encore, Sheeran is in total party mode, changing from his black tour T-shirt (one that bears the city he’s playing in) to a red tour jersey. From the rap and beatbox-infused “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” to “Shape Of You” and “Bad Habits,” it’s one of the biggest Sheeran has ever sounded and possibly the most fun he’s ever had. Perhaps India will continue to be that country for him, minus the ill-informed attempts at busking.
