It was Sunday. The traffic was bad. We could've stayed indoors and binged on TV series to escape the heat. But where did we go? Across the city to a concert, of course. Ed Sheeran was back, now for his Divide Tour 2019 at Rajamangala Stadium, and we couldn't have been more excited.
The evening opened with Japanese powerhouse rock band One OK Rock. Then, from a full band, the stage was cleared for the man of the evening -- the one-man band we've come to know as Ed Sheeran.
In a fashion similar to his 2017 concert (then held at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani), Sheeran was alone with his guitar and loop pedal, and off he went, taking us on a journey with music from his three studio albums that have touched us since 2011.
The set-list and arrangement were also similar to his previous concert in Bangkok, save for a few song changes. Not that we minded, of course. Seeing him live was a joy. And he seemed even more animated and energetic compared to his last performance here. I liked his energy, which didn't drop a beat during the two-hour concert. He even made jokes about his appearance on Game Of Thrones and even Bangkok's notorious traffic, which earned a big cheer from the crowd.
The artist began his performance with the upbeat Castle On The Hill and then Eraser -- two songs from his 2017 album Divide. The performance went on to include hits from over the years like The A Team, a cover of Justin Bieber's Love Yourself (which Sheeran wrote), Lego House, Galway Girl, Thinking Out Loud, Photograph, Perfect, Nancy Mulligan, Shape Of You and more. The performance and his work on the loop pedal flowed harmoniously. Sheeran sang, rapped, used his guitar as percussion and hopped around onstage.
What I like about Sheeran is that not only is he a talented musician, he's also a likeable entertainer. He didn't lose sight of the crowd at all on Sunday night. Even in a large stadium, his constant interaction made the atmosphere intimate and friendly enough that everyone seemed to feel part of the show.
After two years on his Divide tour, Sheeran told fans he had played to some 8 million people around the world. It really showed. Everything he did seemed effortless, and I think he was even better than in his previous show here.
This marked my first time attending a concert at Rajamangala Stadium. One thing I liked about it was the sound. I found the vocals better here -- more clear and crisp than the muffled vocals I've often experienced at Impact Arena.
It was difficult to reach the venue: motorcycle taxi, MRT, Klong San Saeb boat ride (no one should subject themselves to that kind of danger unless they absolutely have to), songthaew, and finally a long walk to escape the unmoving traffic finally brought me there. Many taxis refused to go; motorcycle taxis hiked up their price. Logistically, it was horrible.
A stadium concert was maybe not the best idea during the Thai summer. Sheeran was red and sweating buckets. Poor guy. But at the same time, we couldn't have asked for a better day out of the entire summer. The sky was clear. There were stars. We had a constant breeze to cool us down, as we were already sticky and sweaty from trying to make our way to the stadium. And in the end, everything just faded away when the first note hit, and it didn't matter where we were or how we got there, as long as we had the right music for us.
