Fans touting green and black Xs on their cheeks littered the American Airlines Arena last night, and they seemed to multiply as I neared my seat. Crop top-clad mini super fans impatiently awaited Ed Sheeran with intermittent shrieks high pitched enough to drive even your hard-of-hearing grandmother mad.
Jamie Lawson, the first artist to be signed to Sheeran’s cleverly named Gingerbread record label, opened the show. Betwixt his collection of tunes, he introduced his song “Don’t Let Me Let You Go” with some not-so-subtle banter about being as successful as Sheeran. Lawson co-wrote the song with Amy Wadge, who also co-wrote “Thinking Out Loud” with Sheeran.
Next up, Christina Perri bounced on stage with the bubbliest of smiles. From “Arms” to “Run” to “Jar of Hearts,” “A Thousand Years” and “Human,” Perri paired her unmatchable vocals with her tambourine, guitar and piano instrumentals. Her anthem “Burning Gold” oozed out of her and had the crowd on its feet and ready for Sheeran.
Before he took the stage, the screens displayed a video montage chronicling his journey through life in conjunction with music. The clips spanned from 1991 until 2015 when Sheeran entered singing “I’m A Mess.”
The graphics continued to complement his set list with wooden, puppet-like hands opening and closing during “Lego House” and watercolor paintings of a man and woman appearing and disappearing during “Photograph.”
This was Sheeran’s first headline gig in the 305, and he paid homage to the city with a ballad version of Will Smith’s “Miami.”
Sheeran requested the audience lose their voices with him, amongst other disclaimers permitting them to “dance like idiots and do whatever the hell [they] want[ed].”
He twice deemed the people of Miami “mental” because of their obvious rambunctiousness, but he was able to calm them with a guitar solo at the beginning of “Tenerife Sea.”
Sheeran brought the tempo back up with vignettes of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” Chris Brown’s “Loyal,” Blackstreet’s “No Diggity,” 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and Drake’s “Know Yourself.” Who knew the folksy pop singer had pipes like hip-hop’s finest?
The arena became a speckled illumination of cell phone lights when Sheeran caught his breath with “A Team” before encoring with “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” and his ever popular “Sing.”
Together, the three artists created a seamless show that juxtaposed their slow jams with more upbeat renditions of some crowd favorites.
Set List
I’m A Mess
Lego House
Drunk
Take It Back (Medley: Superstition by Stevie Wonder and Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers)
One
Photograph
Bloodstream
Tenerife Sea
Don’t (Medley: Loyal by Chris Brown, No Diggity by Blackstreet and Nina by Ed Sheeran)
Feeling Good (Nina Simone cover)/I See Fire
Be My Forever (with Christina Perri)
Small Bump
Kiss Me
Thinking Out Loud
I Was Made To Love Her (Stevie Wonder cover)
A Team
Encore:
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You (Medley: In Da Club by 50 Cent and Know Yourself by Drake)
Sing
Photos by: Ron Elkman (ronelkman.com)
