By the time Ed Sheeran headlines Madison Square Garden on November 1st it will be nearly two years since I caught him performing at the 200 SRO Mercury Lounge. Already a star in the UK for his debut album + at that time, his set, one man band plus loop was essentially the same as when I saw him open for Taylor Swift at Metlife earlier this summer.
While it might appear difficult to sell out MSG, it isn’t really. Just give Cablevision a boatload of readies and rent the place. Filling it is another question and I wonder if Sheeran has the audience to fill 20,000 seats. Now, since he has joined The Voice as a mentor on Christina Aguilara’s team that might soon change, certainly it can’t hurt his public image, but can it help enough.
Ed’s problems are as follows:
1. He is a one man band. While he has proven himself capable of exciting an Arena for 45 minutes, how is he gonna do it for 90 minutes? There is something so opening act about the guy, he works without whistle and toots and while sure, you might be excused for thinking that he doesn’t need em, i found him a little long winded at Mercury, I bet he will be brutal at MSG.
2. He doesn’t look like leading man material. With his freckles and brush of red hair, he is the perennial little brother. Ed looks as though he was discovered by Central Casting to play the role of Taylor Sidekick. A sort of oddball charm that could never be mistaken for boyfriend material, so harmless, and constant. I don’t know how Taylor will replace him when the tour is over.
Ed tweeted: “My dad always said you haven’t made it til you’ve played MSG so it’s a massive honor. ‘Oh, and it’s not the concert theatre, it’s the big one. Propah.”
Meanwhile, Ed is finally getting around to recording the follow up to + with The Game and Rudimental.