Ed Sheeran

It is safe to say that Ed Sheeran will be one of the defining artists of our generation. His music transcends any definable genre, combining soft folk with bright pop and grime hip-hop. Sheeran's clever wordplay and soulful lyrics are able to really captivate an audience, both when listening to him live or on a CD. One of the most salient qualities about him though, is his pure, unaltered, truly beautiful voice. It is hard to really visualize how great he sounds until you see him live. I was lucky enough to see him at a small, intimate performance with a crowd of only about 100. The first thing you notice about him is that it is just him up on stage. There is no band, no backing vocals, no track playing in the background or anything. It is him, a guitar, and a loop pedal. From the moment he struck the first chord until the moment he stepped off stage, the audience was enchanted by him. His voice can transport you from an old pub in Ireland to the grimy streets of London without ever missing a beat. A real troubadour, his shining moments are the ballads in which soaring vocals and romantic lyrics backed by the simple strum of his Little Martin cause major swooning.
It was evident to me that Sheeran deserves all of the attention he gets and more; his talent is truly undeniable, even if he isn't your favorite. He is so incredibly down-to-Earth, as well. I was able to meet him after he performed and he genuinely cared about what I had to say to him. He was warm, friendly, funny, and exceedingly normal. He's someone that you would want to hang out and watch TV with.
With his new album "x" (pronounced "multiply") Sheeran shows how much he has grown as an artist since the release of his debut album "+" three years ago. His love is more passionate, his hurt is more palpable, and when he throws shade, it's pretty intense. At the end of the day, he is a performer. You can tell how much music means to him when you see him live. He is a true artist: a beautiful lyricist, a stunning vocalist, and an incredibly entertaining musician.

I'll do my best to keep this short. And by short, I mean probably still too long, but my love for this group runs so deep and I want to share it with the world.

I've been listening to Lukas Graham for 3 or 4 years now and accessing their music has always been tough, until they released their single "7 Years" in the US. For a long time I thought I'd never get to see them live, so when I saw they were coming to the states, I made sure to purchase tickets right after they went on sale.

The only "negative" thing I can say is that it did take a little (I mean little) longer than expected for things to get started. But after it was all said and done, I would have waited days for this concert to start.

They opened with my favorite song of all time, which is probably one of their more challenging ones and did not skip a beat. As always his vocals were flawless and the band was wonderful. It went on this way for every song, they delivered passion that you could not only see in their body language, but really projected onto the crowd.

Plus, the banter between them was great and the dialogue Lukas used between songs really let us see into his motivation, his passion, and his heart. They even played a couple songs which haven't been released in the US yet, and I was happy to be able to sing along. It was a great surprise.

So I've waited a few days to try and let my fan girl euphoria calm down, so I could write a fair review. But I can still feel the energy from that night. On a scale of 1 to 10, my recommendation for this band is 100. Do not miss the opportunity to see more than a concert, but an experience and a story. I will be back every time they're in the western hemisphere.