On Saturday (June 20), for the second show on his North American leg of his global headlining Loop Tour, Ed Sheeran brought his eclectic, energetic and heartfelt brand of pop-tilted singer-songwriter fare to one of music’s songwriting capitals, Nashville.
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Appropriately, the four-time Grammy winner’s Nissan Stadium show, which stretched over two hours, was chock full with his signature hits, deep emotional ballads and rapid-fire, uptempo grooves. But on the Loop Tour, his solo stadium show featured Sheeran employing live audio looping instead of a full band to build the sonic tapestry of his songs, weaving in looped instrumentals, rhythms and layered vocal harmonies — and in the process, offering fans a glimpse into the process of constructing hits including his Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers “Perfect” and “Shape of You.”
“I always feel like it’s coming home playing here,” Sheeran said of Nashville, noting that he has not only previously played Nashville venues including Nissan Stadium and the Ryman Auditorium, but he also lived in Nashville for brief periods of time, including living in a home in Hendersonville, Tenn., in 2013. Many Nashville-area songwriting sessions from that time informed his 2014 album x (“Multiply”). Of course, his Nashville connections extend deep, including collabs over the years with Megan Moroney, Luke Combs and Taylor Swift.
Just before Sheeran took the stage Saturday night, an image of a cassette mixtape was emblazoned on the massive screen, along with a message encouraging fans to sign up to request a song for the night’s setlist. In addition to planned songs such as “Give Me Love,” “Perfect,” and “Thinking Out Loud,” this allowed for some off-the-cuff moments and fan-requested songs “A Little More,” “Dive” and “Supermarket Flowers.”
Throughout a set punctuated often by fiery pyro and fireworks, Sheeran spent time toggling between the main stage and a smaller b-stage, using a retractable bridge that spanned over the audience, connecting the two stages. He also surprised fans by welcoming guests, traditional Irish folk band Beoga and country duo Dan + Shay (Sheeran mentioned that his friendship with Dan + Shay stretches back over 10 years when they wrote songs together).
Sheeran’s Nashville show featured opening sets from Myles Smith, Amble and Aaron Rowe. The trek will visit more cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Boston.
Below is the setlist for Sheeran’s Nashville show: